


Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Treasure Hunters of the Forest

by LanceSunshine



Series: Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Treasure Hunters of the World [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon
Genre: Human Turned Pokemon, Mystery, Original Pokemon Region, Other, Pokemon, Pokemon AU, Pokemon Battles, Pokemon Mystery, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon - Freeform, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon AU, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Original, Pokemon Political Drama, Pokemon War, Political Drama, Talking Pokemon, f/f - Freeform, f/m - Freeform, m/m - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-22
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:14:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 159,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24324115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LanceSunshine/pseuds/LanceSunshine
Summary: The first instalment of the Treasure Hunters of the World series - Treasure Hunters of the Forest.Alex is a Charmander who awakens on the brink of death, with no idea who he is or where he came from. He is saved by Tobias, a Squirtle desperate to put the past behind him. He’s the lone ranger of a vigilante organisation led by Khan, the world’s greatest treasure hunter. Bound inseparably by that one fateful night in Oran Berry Cave, they’re sucked into a war that threatens to burn the Kingdom of Itori to the ground.
Series: Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Treasure Hunters of the World [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1756066
Comments: 14
Kudos: 18





	1. Tobias

Ω Volume One: Team Goldenrod Ω

_“_ _Do you always need a reason to help somebody?” - Ash Ketchum, Mewtwo Returns_

Purple eyes.

I jumped to life. I scuttled backwards and bumped against the wall behind me. The Pokémon held up his hands, a gesture of peace.

Oh, it’s all right. It’s just a Squirtle.

“Woah, woah, easy,” he said, “don’t be frightened.”

I screamed.

“Oh no. Hey, listen, okay? Listen! I’m not going to hurt you.”

My eyes finally took in my surroundings. A cave. A blue cave. Smooth grey rock, glowing phosphorescent plants growing through the cracks. Beside me, running water. I recoiled. Water was bad. Somehow.

The Squirtle tried to approach me, I shuffled beneath some rocks. There was a pale orange glow behind me, I looked over my shoulder. Fire. A small flame at the end of…

I frowned. No. That can’t be right.

My eyes followed a chubby orange tail, sticking out of a thick black robe. I reached down to touch it, saw a four-fingered orange hand instead of my own. Below it, two stubby orange legs with three white claws.

I tried to stand but I banged my head on the rocks and fell back down. The Squirtle offered me his hand. I stared at it for a moment. Then I took it.

He helped me to my feet. I stepped in a puddle of water and hissed through my teeth; he held my still as I shook myself off.

“See?” he said. “I’m here to help you. My name is Tobias. I’m a Treasure Hunter.”

He held up a cream-and-pink badge. Two white wings stuck out at either side, and in the centre was a yellow star. He wore a bag around his shoulder, and a golden scarf patterned with stars around his neck.

Wait, how do I know this Pokémon’s male?

“Treasure?” I said. My voice was high and squeaky, like a small Pokémon’s. Not my voice.

He nodded. “That’s right! I’m here to rescue you. What’s your name, guy?”

I didn’t have an answer for him. The talking Pokémon looked over his shoulder.

“Look we need to leave before the wild Pokémon find us. Can you walk okay?”

“I don’t know, I…” I looked down, and saw my reflection in the water. I screamed again.

“Shhhh! Don’t yell!” he hissed. “They’ll find us!”

Footsteps. I looked behind me; a Whismur was standing at the entrance of the cavern, watching us. She tilted her head.

“We have to go,” said the Squirtle, “right now.”

“I can’t walk.”

“I’ll carry you. Put your arm around my shoulder, be careful of the puddle.”

I tried to take a step but my leg gave out. I ended up leaning on him and he toppled under my weight and had to catch himself on the ring of a rock pool. A stream of water trickled down from the cave wall. He pushed himself back up and held me steady.

“I know you’re scared,” he said gently, “I would be too. But you need to be brave, because there are Pokémon coming for us that want to hurt us. I’m trying to protect you from them. Do you understand?”

“Why?” I asked.

“Why what?”

“Why are you helping me?”

The Squirtle gave a small smile. “Do you always need a reason to help somebody?”

_Boom. Boom. Boom._

Footsteps. Heavier footsteps. Coming closer. I clung to the Squirtle as he half-led, half-carried me away.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“Out of here,” he said, “that’s priority number one.”

_Boom._

The Squirtle turned his head.

“Oh no.”

_BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!_

The Loudred’s roar made rubble fall from the ceiling. Tobias rested me against the rim of the rock pool. I winced as the damp surface touched my skin.

Shockwaves echoed from the Loudred’s mouth, distorting the air. I recognise the move. Hyper Voice.

Tobias clamped his hands over his ears, but that does nothing against Hyper Voice; you'd need to cover your whole body. He retaliated with Water Gun, hitting the wild Pokémon square between the eyes. Her ears shook and sent out Supersonic waves. Tobias jumped and dodged. He was fast for a Squirtle. He ducked into his shell and flew at her, hitting her in the jaw. Tobias landed, one hand on the ground, and fired Water Gun. Still, she wouldn’t go down.

She hit him with Supersonic. Tobias put a hand to his eyes and tried to steady himself; the Loudred Stomped down on him. He went into his shell and she kept slamming her foot down on top of him.

I was powerless. I couldn’t even move. The Loudred was going to crush this Pokémon and then she was going to come and crush me. Wasn’t I supposed to do something? What was wrong with me?!

The Loudred raised her foot high.

“ _Stop!_ ” I cried. I slipped and landed in a puddle of water. The Loudred turned her head.

Tobias’ head shot out of his shell and he Bit down on her foot. She yelped and pulled away; Tobias pulled and she fell on her back. He raised his hand, and it glowed a seafoam colour. A stream of foamy water came out. Brine.

I sighed with relief. Tobias shook himself off and came to lift me back up. He was out of breath, shaking just a little.

“You’re hurt,” I said.

“Don’t worry about me,” he said. “Focus on keeping yourself awake, okay? We still have a couple more floors to go.”

We had started three floors down. We were somewhere on the second floor when three Zubat attacked. Tobias quickly knocked one out with Water Gun, but two more hit him with green Absorb beams. Brine knocked out the second one, but the third hit him with Supersonic. He still had one arm around me, he held up the other to shield his face. The Zubat Bit down on the top of his head.

He pulled out a blue glass orb and smashed it on the ground. Purple sparks ran across and floor and walls. The Zubat was held in place, trembling all over. Tobias knocked him out with Brine. I cried out as the splashback hit me in the eyes.

“Sorry! I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” He brought my face up to meet his. “Charmander? Charmander, you need to stay awake, okay? Just stay awake a little longer.”

I leaned against him, limping along. “I’m not… Charmander…”

“Easy, guy. Easy.”

He carried me up the stairs to the first floor, then to the exit. The light of the sun roused me awake for a moment, just a moment. I could hear waves. I could see cliffs. I looked down and there was sand beneath my feet. We were on a beach.

I was in some murky place between consciousness and unconsciousness when the Corviknight swooped down on us. She was right on top of us when I passed out.

~~~

Laughter.

A Kadabra sat up in the straw bed next to me, talking to a Phantump and a Masked Yamask. Each wore blue scarves patterned with oval shapes.

To my right was a Chingling with a bandage around one rope, wearing a green scarf patterned with hearts. In the next bed over, an Exeggcute was moving a checker piece with Confusion. The Steenee across from him studied the board, rubbing her chin. Both wore red scarves patterned with leaves.

Where the hell was I?

Then I was out again. I can’t say how long it took me to come around; maybe three days, maybe four. Dawn had just broken through the glassless windows when I finally woke up for real. The first thing I saw was two purple eyes staring down at me.

“Aah!”

The Squirtle jumped. Pokémon looked our way.

“Oh, haha, sorry,” he said, “I thought you were still asleep.”

I yawned. “How long was I out for?”

“About a week.”

“A _week_?”

“You were hurt! _Really_ hurt! We… weren’t certain you were going to make it.”

I pushed myself into a sitting position. Rows of Pokémon lay in straw beds with varying degrees of injury. Most wore scarves around their necks. A Cherrim lay tucked into herself at the other end of the room; light shone through the window, and her petals opened up to greet the sun.

“Where am I?”

“You’re at the Treasure Hunting Academy in Emerald Town.”

That meant nothing to me.

“You’re in our healers’ room, they’ve been taking care of you since I brought you here.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Who are you?”

“I’m Tobias. Remember? From the cave?”

I shook my head. He asked me what I remembered.

“Nothing.”

“Do you remember the Loudred? When we were attacked by those Zubat?”

Not a thing.

“Do you remember Karas? The Pokémon who brought us here? You spoke to her, you said you didn’t know how to fly, and then she carried you here.”

I shook my head again.

“Zygarde, they really got to you, didn’t they?” he said.

“Who did?”

“I’m not sure yet, but whoever it was was seriously trying to hurt you; you could have died down there! Do you know what you were doing alone in a Mystery Dungeon?”

“A Mystery Dungeon?”

“I found you in Oran Berry Cave, on the third floor. You were barely breathing! I brought you here to recover.”

“You saved me?”

A small smile. “That’s what I do. I’m a Treasure Hunter, see?” he held up a cream-and-pink badge, with white wings and a yellow star.

I looked down at myself. Scarred, bruised, skinny, sallow. Orange. Pale-yellow. A Charmander.

“Am I treasure?”

The Squirtle stifled a laugh. “No, it’s not like that. We do more than just dig up rubies and sapphires here; we rescue Pokémon who’ve been injured, arrest Pokémon who’ve broken the law, escort Pokémon through dangerous areas-”

“And we _usually_ work in _Teams_ ,” someone said. It was a Cinccino, sat up on the bed across from us. There was a purple scarf patterned with clouds around his neck, matching the two Pokémon beside him.

“Knock it off, Lio,” said the Talonflame.

“He’s just a kid, for Xerneas’ sake,” said the Froslass.

Tobias pretended to ignore them. “Do you know how you got down there in the first place?”

“No… I don’t remember anything.”

“Can you tell me who attacked you?”

“I don’t… remember-”

“Can you at least tell me where you’re from?”

I cried out and clutched my head. An Ariados came scuttling over; they handed Tobias a vile of mushy green balls.

“Get him to finish the lot,” they said, already on their way, “if he’s still in pain in an hour, call for me.”

Tobias held out the vial. “You need to eat this, it’ll help you deal with those headaches.”

I pushed it away.

“Leave him _be_ , Tobias,” said a Torracat in another bed, “the little guy needs to rest.”

Tobias closed his eyes, took a deep breath. He picked out one of the green balls. I put it in my mouth and winced.

“Bitter.”

“Most of the Charmander in Itori come from Grande City. You know where that is? In the crownlands?”

I just shrugged. I picked up another ball, swallowed it without chewing.

“Do you even remember your name?”

I stared into the vial. I took out another ball.

Tobias opened up his bag and took out a long black piece of fabric.

“Does this look familiar to you?”

He held out a tag stitched into the back of the neck. Letters were sown in gold thread: “S Alex A”.

“You were wearing this when I found you.”

“Looks too big for me.”

“That’s what I was thinking. Maybe if you fold it this way…”

Tobias played around with the robe, measured it up against me. Up close, I saw something was wrong with it. A hole. Loose threads of string.

“I can’t help but wonder if this was made for a different Pokémon. But then why would you be wearing it? I don’t know anyone in Emerald Town named Alex…”

Alex. S Alex A. _Alex_. Who’s that guy with his tail on fire? Oh, that’s Alex.

“Alex?”

I looked up. “Yeah?”

“I guess that works. Your last name must be an “A”, but what does the “S” stand for?”

“Maybe Alex is my middle name.”

“Your middle name?”

“The one between the first name and the last one.”

“I’ve never heard of a Pokémon with three names before. Hah, you must be important!”

Heads turned. A tall purple Pokémon ducked under the doorway; a Garchomp, I realised after a moment. A Gardevoir stood waiting behind him. Our eyes met for a moment. Her face was grim.

Tobias gave a small _eep_ , dusted himself off, sat up straight.

“Good morning, Professor.”

“Morning, Tobias.” The Garchomp squatted down in front of me. “How are you feeling today, friend?”

For some reason, I looked to Tobias for an answer. He explained the situation as delicately as he could.

The Garchomp nodded. “I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Almost all amnesia cases are impermanent, and if it was a truly severe injury you would be in a coma right now. You don’t look too badly off, if you don’t mind my saying.”

“I don’t feel great.”

“Well you can stay here for as long as you need until you do. Cas is taking great care of you,” he looked to the Ariados scurrying about from patient to patient, “and if you need anything at all you can come to me directly. My room’s upstairs on the fourth floor.”

“Thanks… you.”

A patient smile. “Professor Khan Buckeye, pleased to meet you.”

“I’m Alex. I think.”

He leaned over Tobias’ shoulder.

“S Alex A. Interesting. Do we know what the “S” stands for?”

Another headache. Then I was lying down again. The Garchomp was gone, and Tobias was holding up the vial of mushy balls. I forced one down. It must have done something, because the next thing I knew I was sitting upright, feet pressed together.

“Who was that?” I asked.

“Who was who?”

“The Garchomp. He was just here.”

Tobias looked back the way he’d come back. “That was a while ago. You don’t remember?”

“No. And that’s weird, because it’s so not like me.”

“Professor Buckeye runs the Academy,” Tobias explained, “he’s the greatest treasure hunter in the _world_. He’s kind of a living legend.” He was blushing, a sea-blue colour.

“Doesn’t look like a “Buckeye”,” I said, “sounds like a name for a Stantler or something.”

“He’s a genius,” Tobias said with a hint of defensiveness, “and he’s also the strongest Pokémon in Itori.”

“Was there like a tournament?”

“No, that’s not-”

“Thank you for saving me,” I was suddenly saying.

He smiled. “Don’t mention it. It’s what we do.” He stood. “Are you hungry? They’re serving lunch in the dining hall, I’ll bring you some. I mean, Bruno would probably bring you some anyway, but I can bring you an extra portion if I tell them you’re a Charizard.”

“It’s okay, I’ll come with.” I pushed myself to my feet.

“Are you sure?” His arms hovered in the air. “You said you weren’t feeling great.”

“I’m fine,” I lied, “I’m great. Take me to the food. I remember enough to know I’m hungry.”

Another headache. Then we were somewhere else.

I looked around. “Where…?”

We were in the dining hall. A Hippopotas carried a plate of food on his large nose, placed it in front of me at the end of a table.

Floor two is the dining hall/kitchen. Floor three is the classroom, and floor four is living accommodation for the Pokémon working at the Academy, Professor Buckeye and his staff. It also temporarily houses Pokémon with nowhere else to go.

“That’s how we find a lot of our recruits,” Tobias said, “and our staff. Sometimes Pokémon you take missions from will be inspired to join. Even wild Pokémon, from time to time. We have a Loudred from the cave working as one of the Professor’s assistants.”

“ _HUH?!_ ”

Tobias almost jumped out of his shell. A Loudred came stomping over.

“MY EARS WERE RINGING! AY, LOOK, OUR BOY’S MADE A FRIEND!”

Tobias’ face flushed. A Glameow flicked her tail, irritated.

“Come on, Matty, we don’t have all day.”

“OI OI, A CHARMANDER!” Matty went on. “HAVEN’T SEEN ONE OF YOU IN THE FLESH BEFORE! WHAT’S BROUGHT YOU HERE THEN?”

“Matty!”

The Loudred grumbled. “BEST BE OFF, THEN. SEE YOU AROUND, NEW GUY.”

The Glameow was already at the stairs. He went stomping off after her.

“Gloria was a wild Pokémon too,” Tobias said, “though you’d never be able to tell. Not that there’s anything wrong with being wild!” he added hastily. “Or formerly wild, or anything like that.”

“Was I a wild Pokémon?”

It looked like this hadn’t occurred to him. “I’m not sure. You didn’t come from any wild area in the south, that’s for certain.”

“Are there any other Charmander that _aren’t_ wild around here?”

He went quiet. “There was one, but I’m not sure you’d want to-”

“There you are!”

Tobias’ head went halfway into his shell. A Piplup came storming over to us; his flipper-like feet slapped on the floor.

“I’ve been waiting a _week_ to hear from you! I am _still waiting to be escorted_! Pray tell how much more of my time must I be prepared to waste?”

“I want to tell you, I’ve been…” he glanced at me, “a bit preoccupied.”

“ _Pre_ -occupied?” he put his flippers to his hips. “Your _pre_ -occupation was the mission request _you_ took from the board! Anything after such is a _post_ -occupation!”

“This was important-”

“Your duty to your clients is important!”

“Woah, hey, cool it,” I stepped between the two water-types, “you don’t have to talk to him like that, all right?”

The Piplup looked over my shoulder to Tobias. “And who is this?”

“This is Alex,” said Tobias, “he’s new. Alex, this is Piplup.”

The Penguin Pokémon puffed out his chest. “Piplup _the Great_ , if it’s all the same to you.”

““The Great?”” I asked. “What’s so great about you?”

Tobias winced.

It seemed like an innocent enough question, but it prompted _Piplup the Great_ to put his face inches from mine.

“I will have you know that I am a travelling Pokémon from the _Isle of Legends_. I am a _very_ respected member of my community, although it seems that respect does _not_ extend to the _vigilante Pokémon_ of the Treasure Hunting Academy.”

“That’s enough, Piplup,” came a deep voice, “you know the rules about fighting in this building.”

Professor Buckeye came and stood behind him. That was enough to make Piplup back away; he folded his flippers and raised his head up high, then he slapped away without another word.

“Are you all right?”

“I’m okay,” Tobias said, trying to meet his eye and almost managing it, “thank you, Professor.”

“You did the right thing prioritising your friend. Good work.” He patted him on the shoulder. The rim of Tobias’ shell reached his chin.

“What was that about?” I asked once the Professor was gone and Tobias had composed himself.

“I took a mission from him a few days, well, a week ago. It was in Oran Berry Cave. But when I found you unconscious on the floor I brought you straight here. It, aha, it sort of slipped my mind that I had abandoned another mission to do it.”

“You did that even though you’d never even met me before?”

“Of course! We’re Pokémon, right? That means you’re more important than some dumb seed.”

“That’s what he was so angry about? A seed?”

“A Reviver Seed. They bring fainted Pokémon back to full health. They’re pretty rare, actually. But it doesn’t matter. He can find another Team if it’s so important to him.”

“Did somebody in Oran Berry Cave steal it?”

“No. He says he was mugged on the beach outside. The thieves are hiding out somewhere in the Dungeon.”

I told him about the robe. Tobias’ eyebrows raised.

“Do you think it was them?”

“It must have been!” I put a hand to my chest. “They took something from me. And whatever it was must have been a lot more valuable than that robe if they left it behind, right? Maybe that’s what happened to me! Maybe _they’re_ the ones that attacked me!”

“Yveltal,” Tobias said. “I know they were criminals, but to do _that_ to another Pokémon is just… unnatural.”

But there was something different on my mind. “Maybe they have some idea where I came from! If we can find them, _apprehend_ them…”

“They’ll tell us everything. They’ll have to, if they expect to see sunlight again after what they did to you. All right. Stay here in the hospital for a while; if you need to, you can sleep in the spare room. I’ll be back by morning.”

“Wait, what? You’re going alone?”

Tobias turned sea-blue. “I’m the only one on my Team. But it’s not a problem, this is my responsibility.”

“It’s my stuff that’s gone missing,” I said, “and those Pokémon attacked _me_. Doesn’t that make it my responsibility too?”

“Yeah, but, the last time you were there…”

“Exactly! That’s why I can’t let you go alone!”

A Breloom stuck his head up from the staircase, called for someone. A Gardevoir brushed past us. I hadn’t even noticed she was there.

Tobias lowered his voice. “The thieves are ground-types,” he said, “you’d be at a real disadvantage.”

“Not as big as yours would be if you went alone.”

Tobias thought for a moment.

“Are you absolutely sure you want to do this?”

“Of course! If it helps me remember who I am-”

Suddenly we were walking out into the sunlight beyond the Academy’s canopy. Piplup “the Great” was yammering away between us.

I looked back over my shoulder. Four stories high, with a cellar, off-limits to everyone but Academy staff, and a battlefield around the back, the Treasure Hunting Academy is blue canvas with grey lining, patterned with red crescents. A Bidoof in a yellow burst-patterned scarf hurried up the stone steps. An Ampharos wearing nothing stood up top, watching the Pokémon come and go. Buckeye trees grew on either side, scattering shed leaves all around.

I followed the water-types down the cobblestone road out of town, to the staircase chiselled into the cliff. Oran Berry Beach stretched out below us. Tobias gave a friendly wave to a Corviknight sat atop a perch at the edge of the bluff. The cliff rock stuck out along the beach, and small crevices had been dug into the stone. Here and there, an Oran Berry grew. A Krabby scuttled along one of the shelves.

Once we were halfway to the cave Tobias pointed to a bamboo-wood door tucked into the wall, hidden from view on almost all sides. “See that? That’s where I live.”

“Hmph. This is where I was attacked by those hooligans,” said Piplup. “I almost had the rascals right where I wanted them! It was a critical hit at the last second, that’s the only reason I lost!”

“Then why do you need us to-” I began.

“If we’re right about them being the Pokémon that attacked Alex,” Tobias interrupted, “then we’re dealing with Pokémon a lot more violent than usual. Be careful in there,” he said to both of us, “we don’t know how far they’re willing to go to protect themselves.”

Piplup raised his chin. “I’m sure they don’t know how far _I_ am willing to go to defend the honour of my people.”

“Mhm. Super.”

“What does getting back your Reviver Seed have to do with the “honour of your people”?” I asked.

Piplup puffed out his chest. “As you may have noticed, I go by my _true_ name, as is the way of the Pokémon of the Isle. It seems these Pokémon are _also_ Islanders, or else they have appropriated our customs and in doing so _besmirched_ our honour.”

“Their names are Dig, Lett, and Shrew,” Tobias said, “I’ll give you three guesses.”

“I thought that was what most Pokémon did,” I said, “I didn’t realise almost everyone had nicknames.”

Piplup looked puzzled. “Nicknames?”

“We don’t have nicknames,” Tobias said with a chuckle, “we just have names. Who do you think would have given me a nickname like “Tobias”?”

“Your… friends, I guess.”

Tobias forced a smile. “That’s a nice thought.”

Something shifted under my foot. I paused. Then the ground opened up below me.

We fell five feet down into a pit of pressed sand, and I had the privilege of being at the bottom of the pile. Tobias yelped as Piplup’s elbow dug into his eye.

“Oh, you’re fine.”

The sunlight was blotted out. Three heads peered down at us; Earthen Diglett, Earthen Diglett, Desert Sandshrew.

“You!” Piplup bellowed. “You three scoundrels are a disgrace to your own names! Let us out of here this _instant_!”

The Diglett kicked sand on top of us. Piplup flinched and rubbed his eyes, and the Mole Pokémon laughed.

The Sandshrew wordlessly motioned for them to follow him.

Piplup was scowling and fidgeting, until Tobias shoved him aside and tried to stand. He ended up pressing stepping on my nose.

“Ow, ow!”

“Sorry, sorry, sorry.”

He stepped off of me, splashed water in his eyes then Piplup’s. I didn’t get any sand in my eyes; lucky thing I'd been at the bottom.

The edge of the sandpit was too far away for any of us to reach. Piplup folded up his flippers and leaned back against the wall. He expected us to fix this.

I looked to Tobias for answers. He was feeling along the walls, the sand coming away at his touch. He looked down, stomped on the ground.

“Looks stable enough. Piplup, climb up on my shoulder.”

Piplup looked up. “That won’t work, we’re still too far down.”

“Then Alex is going to climb up on yours.”

Piplup’s beak hung open. “I am the _client_!”

“And Alex just got out of the healer’s room. Stop. We don’t have time to argue. Do you want to catch these guys or not?”

Still grumbling, Piplup climbed up on Tobias’ shoulders and put his flippers against the wall. My feet slipped on Tobias’ shell but eventually I managed to hoist myself up. For a moment it didn’t seem like he’d be able to take our collective weight, but he held strong.

I put my feet up on Piplup’s head and pushed off, scrambled up onto solid ground.

“How are we getting out then?” said the client.

“You’ll have to pull us up,” Tobias said to me.

I reached as far as I could, almost fell back down into the hole.

“My arms are too short!” I said.

“Okay, okay, let me think…”

“What about your scarf?” said Piplup.

“Say what?”

“Are you hard of hearing? Give me your scarf!”

Tobias hesitated. “O-Okay…” He untied it, scrunched it into a ball.

Piplup tossed it up to me.

“Be gentle!” Tobias called.

I unfurled the scarf and Piplup grabbed onto it. Eventually, after a lot of heaving and kicking, I’d pulled him free, and together we managed to lifted Tobias up out of the hole.

The Squirtle tentatively picked the scarf up off the ground.

“Will she make it, doctor?” I asked.

He tied it around his neck. “You might not.”

“Hey, I lived through it the first time, didn’t I?”

“Just make sure you don't get cocky.”

~~~

We entered the cave. A narrow corridor stretched to our left and to our right.

I frowned. “The stairs were right there last time, where did they go?”

“Have you never been in a Mystery Dungeon before?” said Tobias.

“I think I’d remember.”

Tobias led us down. The blue phosphorescent flowers gave us just enough light to see by. My tail might have helped, but it was burning pretty close to the tip.

“We need to keep our voices down when we’re in the cave,” Tobias said, “in case of wild Pokémon. We don’t want to get ourselves hurt before the real fight begins.”

“A fight?” I said.

“… Yeah?”

“What did you _think_ was going to happen?” said Piplup. “These delinquents can’t be reasoned with!”

“You know a lot of different words that mean “outlaw”,” I said.

“Each more fitting than the last!”

“ _Shhh_!” Tobias hissed.

Piplup looked like he was ready to snap again, but he kept his beak shut.

There aren’t many wild Pokémon in Oran Berry Cave. On the first floor, I was able to stand back and let Tobias do the fighting. Neither Piplup or I were really necessary until the second floor.

A Golbat swooped around a corner, hit Tobias with Confuse Ray before he could react. Piplup’s Whirlpool missed, breaking against a stalactite, and she slammed him into a wall with Wing Attack. The wild Pokémon’s eyes met mine. I just stood there. I couldn’t do anything.

Piplup hit her in the side with Peck. She whacked him around the back of the head. I took a deep breath. I was trying to summon and attack. I blew as hard as I could. Only air came out.

The Golbat used Air Cutter. I raised my arms to protect myself and the attack cut white scratches along my arms and legs.

“Don’t just stand there!” Piplup said. “ _Do_ something!”

Tobias snapped out of Confusion and hit her in the back with Rapid Spin. Piplup’s Bubblebeam blinded her for a moment, long enough for Tobias to deal with the finishing blow with Brine.

I lowered my arms. Tobias checked me over for any serious damage.

“I’m okay,” I said, “you don’t have to do that.”

“Sorry. Force of habit.”

“Are you a Pokémon or what?!” said Piplup. “Why didn’t you do anything?!”

Tobias put himself between us. “He has amnesia, Piplup, he can’t remember any of his attacks.”

“Oh.” His face dropped. “I’m… I apologise. I didn’t realise.”

There was a loud crumbling sound above our heads. A second later, a stalactite was falling.

“Look out!” I cried.

“ _Alex!_ ” Tobias tried to stop me but it was too late.

I shoved Piplup out of the way and covered my head with my hands. The stalactite hit, cracked, fell apart. I grit my teeth and screwed my eyes shut, but when I lowered my arms I found I was still in one piece.

“Gah!”

My hands had turned hard and grey.

“Alex,” said Tobias, “that’s Metal Claw! You remembered a move!”

I clinked my hands together. I laughed. I’d remembered an attack! A Pokémon attack!

~~~

There were a few more scuffles on the way to the third staircase. I managed to protect myself with Metal Claw, except for when a Zubat’s stray Poison Sting managed to inject itself into my thigh. After the battle I put a hand to the wall and tried to steady myself; my knees were weak and my arms were heavy.

Tobias placed a Pecha Berry in my hands. “That’s the only one I have,” he said, “so don’t let it go to waste.”

I took a bite, screwed up my mouth.

“What? Those are delicious.”

“Mm. Too sweet for me.”

But I finished it anyway. Down the corridor, left at a fork in the tunnel, we found the final staircase.

The blue light grew brighter and brighter. A white column of light filled the room. Rows and rows of glowing flowers grew all around. There was a tunnel in the wall leading to another room.

“What is this place?” I asked.

“The Sapphire Spring,” said Tobias. “Pokémon come here when they’re ready to evolve.”

“This is a holy place,” said Piplup, “a gift from the Gods.”

“And what’s down that tunnel?”

Tobias squinted. “I’ve never seen that before. It’s a trap. It has to be.”

“No, it’s not.”

Two Diglett popped out of the ground, either side of the column.

“ _This is_.”

“Where’s your friend?” Tobias asked.

The Diglett looked at- no, between each other. Shrew was on the other side of the column.

The light grew brighter. The three of us covered our eyes, and even the Diglett had to squint. The light flashed, turned yellow. Shrew stepped in.

His body glowed, stretched, changed. His claws grew longer, spikes sprouted from his back, his snout grew long and thin. The light filled the cave, blinding us.

“I can’t see!” one of the Diglett cried. “What’s going on?!”

“It’s happening!” said the other. “He’s evolving! Slash! Slash, can you hear me?!”

A Sandslash stepped out. Instead of the customary cry, he clicked his claws together, stomped on the ground. The Diglett cheered.

“I think we might be in trouble, guys,” said Tobias.

“You _think_?!” I said.

The first attack happened in a blink. The newly-evolved Pokémon cut Tobias across the face with a Slash attack. That must get confusing.

I raised my Claws but was knocked off my feet by one of the Diglett. The other hit Piplup with an Astonish attack. Tobias tried to summon a move, but Slash blinded him with Fury Swipes. One, two, three, four.

I jumped over the Diglett’s head and ran. Slash caught my attack with one claw and cut me up under the chin with the other. Tobias hit him in the shoulder with Water Gun. Slash didn’t make a sound. Dig tossed the Squirtle to the floor.

“Tobias!”

Slash kicked me in the chest, knocking me down. I rolled over just about dodged another Slash attack. So he threw sand in my eyes. I got to my knees but he kicked me in the stomach then cut me across the face.

Something whistled through the air. My vision was blurred, but I could now see something dark blue sticking out of his left eye.

The Sandslash yanked the Iron Thorn free. Blood splattered. Tobias ducked into his shell and flew at him. Slash dodged. His claws stretched and glowed.

I heard Piplup cry out in pain. I tried to rub the sand from my eyes but that only made it worse. I heard one of the Diglett laugh. Tobias’ shell skittered across the floor. I breathed in, tried again to summon a fire-type attack. But nothing came.

One of the Diglett hit me in the face; I recoiled and covered my nose. He Scratched me across the back of my hands. Piplup fired a Bubblebeam blind and hit me in the shoulder.

“Piplup, _stop!_ ”

“I’m sorry! I can’t see!”

“Neither can I!”

The Diglett scratched me again. That damn _sand_! I needed to wash it out, but how?

Wait. Of _course_.

“Piplup, do it again! No, don’t move! Just fire straight ahead! Use Bubblebeam!”

He didn’t question my judgement. The bubbles hit me in the face. I blinked a few times, and my vision cleared. I saw one of the Diglett; the slightly darker one, the male; come out of the ground and Scratch me in the knee. I saw my Metal Claw rake across his face.

The other Diglett laughed as Piplup Pecked wildly around her.

“To your left!” I called.

Piplup’s beak landed right between her eyes.

Slash kicked Tobias’ shell across the floor. A drop of blood dripped from his eye onto the ground. His back was to me.

I kicked Dig in the face then made a break for it. Slash turned around just in time for my Metal Claw to jab him in the stomach. He swiped his claw at me; I blocked with my other hand, but he was a lot stronger than I was. He parried me and cut my cheek. Then he arched his back, went limp, and collapsed.

Foamy water dripped from Tobias’ left hand. He was barely standing, but still he tried to catch the Diglett before they disappeared beneath the earth. The ground around Slash trembled, and none of us were strong enough to pull him away before it swallowed him.

“Damn it!” said Tobias. “We really had them this time.”

“But at least we can tell the common folk that an _Islander_ was responsible for driving these troublemakers out of town!” said Piplup.

“But where are the goods?” I asked. “Where’s the bounty? The _treasure_?”

“If I had to guess…” Tobias nodded at the hidden tunnel, the one that wasn’t there before. We followed him down.

We came to a still room. A small green plant glowed, giving off just a bit more light than my flame. In the centre of the room was a pile of over a hundred objects; Orbs, Scarves, Chests, Seeds, Berries, Apples.

My stomach growled.

“I don’t suppose we could-”

“No.”

Tobias tossed Piplup a glossy gold Seed. He held out his Badge, and it began to glow. Golden strings appeared from the shining star in the centre and wrapped themselves around the stolen objects.

“They’ll be safe for now,” he said, “they’ll send the cops down here to carry them back up.”

“We’re not the cops?”

“We’re more like vigilantes, as Piplup put it,” Tobias explained. Piplup suddenly became very interested in looking at his Seed. Tobias puffed out his chest. “We don’t play by the rules. Except for our rules. We do have to play by those.”

“Like no re-stealing already stolen goods?”

“Exactly.”

Something caught my eye. I reached in just before the strings found it; something small, metallic, and red.

“What did I _just_ say?”

“I think this is mine.”

I held it to my chest.

“It’s the same size as the hole in the robe.”

“What is that marvellous object?” Piplup asked, leaning in close.

“I have no idea,” I said; it was glowing, very faintly; “but I think it’s important.”

It was the only thing I owned, after all, besides a robe that didn’t fit me.

~~~

We made our way back to the exit. We didn’t run into any opponents; after we had defeated the three thieves, suddenly nobody else liked their odds. But on the first floor, disaster struck. The ground shook violently and knocked us off our feet; gravel rained down on our heads, and stalactites shook precariously.

“What the hell was that?!” said Tobias.

We weren’t badly hurt, although I couldn’t help but notice he was limping slightly.

“Your leg-”

“Is fine. Just a strain.” He forced a smile. “No need to worry!”

We didn’t realise how much we _did_ need to worry until we came to the entrance.

It was completely sealed up. A wall of boulders a metre thick stood where the only way out had just been. Not even an inch of sunlight was coming through. We were trapped.


	2. The Beast of Summer Cave

_“Fear is your greatest enemy. You must conquer the fear, that lives in your heart. Once your fear is gone, you are free.” - Virizion, Kyurem vs. the Sword of Justice_

Forcing our way out wasn’t going to work. We tried to clear the rocks ourselves but none of them would budge. Even when Tobias and Piplup combined their attacks it wasn’t enough to break the massive boulders. Metal Claw made some cracks, but between the injuries, the journey, and the fight, I was no real help at all.

“Will this ungodly trial never end?” Piplup groaned.

I stared at the boulders. I run my hand along the grooves. Some of the cracks went deep.

“Blast Seeds.”

“Hm?”

“Do we have any Blast Seeds in the bag?”

Tobias checked. “One. But one Seed isn’t going to be enough to do any real damage. At most it’ll take out one of these rocks.”

I got down on my hands and knees, peered between the cracks. “Then we need to make sure we take out the right rock.”

I held out my hand. Tobias hesitated, then placed the Blast Seed in my hand. I slipped it in between the crack. Then I brought my tail close to the ground.

“Woah woah woah, what are you doing?” said Tobias.

“I’m lighting it.”

“You’re about to send yourself back to the hospital, is what you’re doing! Stand back.”

Piplup and I stood several feet away. Tobias fired a Water Gun. The Seed exploded, and the rock beneath it crumbled. One of them fell, then another, then another. A crack of sunlight appeared.

“That’s all we need,” I said, “it’ll be a tight fit, but we’re small Pokémon, we’ll be able to fit through.”

Tobias went first, testing the rocks for strength, knocking away dust and gravel.

“Be careful on this one,” he said, “try not to put too much of your weight on it, or it’ll fall and knock down this one on top of it. That’d _definitely_ end with you back in that hospital.”

Piplup went first. I followed close behind, ready to catch him if he fell.

Something caught my eye. A Whismur was standing at the other end of the room. The Whisper Pokémon tilted her head. I copied her. The Whismur turned and walked away without another word.

~~~

_Splash_.

Tobias landed on the wet beach. The waves had swallowed up most of the sand; the bamboo door was just out of reached.

Piplup jumped down after him. I stayed up on the rocks.

“No.”

“Come now, it’s only a couple of inches,” said Piplup.

“You can do a lot of damage with a couple of inches,” I said. I looked to Tobias. “Think you’d be able to carry me?”

“Not well.”

I sighed. I jumped from the rocks to the beach, landed in the water. I hurried onto dry-ish land, shook myself off.

“Do we know what caused the earthquake?” I asked as walked.

“That was only a tremor. If it was an earthquake we wouldn’t even be able to walk on these beach right now. They’ve been happening for a while now. But this was the worst one we’ve had so far. I hope the town’s okay.”

“Do you think they’re okay,” I said, looking over my shoulder.

“Hm?”

“The thieves. They were underground when the tremor came. It must have hit them pretty bad.”

Tobias regarded me for a moment.

“What?”

“That’s the right kind of attitude for a Treasure Hunter to have. I’m impressed.”

“A Treasure Hunter?”

Tobias swallowed. We slowed down, and Piplup kept going without us.

“Listen, you know, no pressure. But there is room on my- I mean, of course there’s room, I’m the only member, I literally have nothing _but_ open positions. Except for leader, that one’s mine…”

“All right.”

He blinked. “Huh?”

“I want to join. I want to stay with you. I mean, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I don’t exactly have a kicking social life right now. Besides, you got me my red thingy back. And you took care of me. I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather stay with right now. Definitely not that guy,” I pointed to the Penguin Pokémon already a dot in the distance.

For a moment, Tobias struggled to speak. “Okay. Okay! That settles it. Welcome to Team Goldenrod.”

~~~

Next to Tobias’ home was a small redwood door chiselled into the rock that served as a mailbox. Tobias took a look inside; nothing for now. He opened the bamboo door and waved me in. Inside was dark, shielded from sunlight.

“Do me a favour,” he said, “lift your tail up to that sconce.”

There was a small metal cup built into the wall. I touched it with my tail. Suddenly rows and sconces lit up one after the other, climbing up and around the room, all the way to a small yellow chandelier dangling from the ceiling.

Tobias’ home was a natural hole in the cliff, big enough for around four medium-sized Pokémon. There was a cabinet, a plain box that looked something like a small treasure chest, a stream of water trickling from the wall into a rock pool. On the care wall above an unused fireplace, a large chunk of rock had been dug out.

“Training accident?” I asked.

“Nope, completely intentional. You can sit down, by the way, you don’t have to ask for my permission!”

On the floor was a green-and-black carpet depicting an intimidating two-legged Pokémon patterned with hexagons. There was also a second bed.

“Does someone else live here?” I asked.

“Well, yeah. You.”

“But I only agreed to stay here a moment ago.”

“It’s a guest bed,” Tobias said quickly. “But it’s yours now. May as well get comfortable. I’ll grab us dinner. It, er, might consist mostly of Oran Berries, hope that’s okay.”

I sat myself on the bed. I craned my head around.

“How can you afford stuff like this if you don’t have any money?”

His hand hovered over the door. “This place belonged to my old leader.”

“Your what?”

“In my old Team. But they’re not Treasure Hunters anymore. I’m the only one left.”

He pushed open the door and let it swing shut behind him. I stayed behind and waited.

~~~

The next morning Tobias took me to the mission boards on the first floor. This is where Pokémon put up requests for Treasure Hunting Teams, Tobias explained. There were three of them; the green board for rescues, escort missions, item retrievals; the red board for outlaws, thieves, criminals on the loose; the blue board for challenge requests, for Teams looking to grow stronger by challenging one another. Some were illustrated with drawings of items or Pokémon.

The Academy staff were whipped up into a frenzy; several missions in the area had come up overnight as a result of the tremors. We saw the Gardevoir from yesterday waving at us. Tobias waved back. The Phanpy in front o her snorted impatiently and they continued their conversation.

“All I’m saying is, 50% of all mission revenues would be enough to set up a _second_ Academy in the north! But noooo, here at the Treasure Hunting Academy, we’re all about _hoarding_ ,” the Long Nose Pokémon ranted. “Don’t you agree?”

“Ahaha, yes of course.”

“… You’re not listening.”

“Yes, yes, of course.”

Tobias shook his head.

“Ignore him. He’s already taking 10% of the money we make, you don’t have to give him a Poké more, tremors or no. By the way,” he reached into his bag, “I have something for you.”

He pulled out a golden scarf to match his, along with the same cream-and-pink badge.

“This is a Normal-Rank Badge. It’s the first Rank up from beginner. There are ten ranks in all. Right now my one and only goal is getting back to Copper. To do that, we’re going to have to take another mission.”

I scanned the first notice board. The first flier that caught my eye was a request to rescue a Bronzor from Everspring Fields. E-Rank, perfect. Then as soon as I reached out to touch it, it was floating away from the board. An Elgyem in a pink eye-patterned scarf grabbed it out of the air.

Tobias sighed. There was smattering of laughter behind us.

“Try another one. Snatch it quick.”

There was one more E on the board.

Mission: Please rescue my friend!

Client: Caesar (Bagon)

Location: Summer Cave (Orange)

Rank: E

Reward: Iron Thorn (x4)

Meet-Up: Hallore Village entrance

Description: My best friend Tom has gone missing! He’s a Corphish and he’s all alone and he’s trapped! Please help us!

Requirements: Rank Normal or above

Rescuee: Tom (Corphish), 4F

“Ugh, I know those two,” said Tobias. “Tom goes missing every other day and Caesar freaks like he’s just lost his newly-hatched child. They never have any decent rewards either…”

“Aren’t we here to help Pokémon?”

Tobias turned sea-blue. “That was a test. Well done, you passed.” He tugged the flier free. “Let’s go.”

~~~

The town square was buzzing with Pokémon of all different species. Cobblestone paths and wood-and-canvas houses, fringed with green beech trees. To the north was a large plinth, topped with a huge emerald carved into a star shape. Carved into the gold plating were a list of names. A Makuhita and a Haryiama stood guard at either side.

In the centre of the square stood a large fountain, a statue of a four-legged Pokémon with four huge pairs of antlers.

“Xerneas. One of the town’s Gods.”

“Wh- The town has its own gods?”

“No they’re not _exclusively_ our Gods. They’re worshiped across the clifflands and in some parts of the plains. There the Aura Trio; Xerneas, Yveltal, and Zygarde.”

I gazed up at the carving. It was some kind of blue marble, with pale-blue veins.

“Have you ever me them?” I asked.

A laugh escaped. “No, Alex, I’ve never met one of the Gods.”

“What about Piplup? Didn’t he say he was from the “Isle of Legends”?”

“That means he’s _descended_ from someone who was born on the Isle of Legends. A lot of Pokémon here were, since we’re so close to the west coast. But I really doubt any of them has ever met a Legendary Pokémon, and _Piplup_ definitely hasn’t. You can ask them yourself, though, we’ll be stopping by their places on the way.”

Kangaskhan Storage is run by Kangaskhan and her daughter, Kangaskhan. When the older Pokémon saw me, she made a small squeal.

“Tobias!” she said. “Who is this?”

Tobias blushed. “This is Alex. Alex, this is Kangaskhan and Kangaskhan.”

“Oof, I’ll never remember that.”

Kangaskhan Senior clapped her hands together. “I knew you’d find a partner soon. I just new it!”

“I don’t think we talked about _that_.”

“You know what she means,” Tobias said.

The little Kangaskhan poked her house out of her mother’s pouch. Her eyes were different to a regular baby’s. Purple, instead of black. I’m not sure how I know that.

“Don’t mind her, she’s always curious around strangers.”

I tilted my head. She mirrored me.

“You look funny,” she said.

“Kangaskhan!” said the mother. “We do not talk to friends like that!” She put a hand on her head and gently pushed her back down. “Er, don’t mind her, she talks some nonsense sometimes. Back to sleep now, love.”

“But Mummy, he looks weird!”

Another headache. I closed my eyes, put a hand to the side of my head.

“Are you coming?”

Tobias was standing several feet away. Kangaskhan was piling stuff into a storage box. Her baby was still watching me.

“Alex?”

I blinked and rubbed my eyes. “Yeah, yeah, I’m coming. Where to next?”

The Kecleon Store is run by Kecleon and his brother, Kecleon; known to friends as Green and Purple. Never call them that to their faces, though.

“Really, Kecleon and Kecleon shouldn’t be too hard to remember,” said Kecleon.

“Give him a pass, he’s new here,” said Kecleon.

“It is a little confusing,” I said.

Kecleon raised his chin. “We happen to be proud of our culture. Kecleon is my true name, as it is my brother’s. We are Pokémon of the Isle and we are not ashamed of it.”

“Have you ever been there?” I asked, like an idiot.

Kecleon and Kecleon looked at each other, a little stunned. Tobias broke the silence.

“Look, guys, we’re just here for supplies,” Tobias said. He pulled out his PoKé pouch; _that_ got their attention. “We don’t need to dig up any uncomfortable topics.”

“Couldn’t agree more!” said Kecleon.

“The only uncomfortable topic would be you going on that mission without this Beatup Orb!”

“Or this War Seep!”

“How about a new move for the newest recruit!” He held up a shiny disc.

Once Tobias actually managed to ask fro what he wanted, we packed up and were on our way.

“How far is this place?” I asked.

“Only around seven miles.”

“Seven miles seems like a long way on these stubby little legs.”

Tobias chuckled. “I don’t know about you, but I’ve had these stubby little legs my whole life. Trust me, this is a leisurely stroll compared to some of the other Dungeons we’ll be visiting.” A sigh. “We’ll probably have easier clients, though.”

~~~

Caesar yelped.

“That’s just the wind,” said Tobias, “again.”

Caesar moved closer in between us. We had a long mission ahead of us. Tom had wandered farther than ever this time, into an entirely different part of the mountain. To make things even more exciting, there were six different regions in the Dungeon, and we had no idea where he would be. Probably on the fourth floor, Caesar had guessed. More fruit to be found up there.

Summer Cave (Orange) was warm, airy subterrane at the centre of Mt. Eichen. Glowing orange crystals heated the tunnels and caverns, giving off a warm orange light. It was a popular place for fire-types, and was usually crawling with them.

“I can’t see why,” I said, “this place is amazing!”

“I thought you’d like it. These are called natsui crystals,” Tobias winced as he touched one, “they trap heat and warm up the cave. They amplify light, too; you tail is what’s letting us walk without a torch.”

“… It shouldn't be.”

We stopped.

“What’s wrong?” said Tobias.

“There are meant to be dozens of fire-types in this cave, right? You said it would be _packed_. I haven’t seen a single Pokémon the whole time we’ve been here, have you?”

“We’ve only been here for a few minutes.”

“This place is far too cold to be filled with fire-types, Tobias.”

Caesar wrung his hands. “He’s right, it _is_ colder in here.”

“And we haven’t seen any other kind of Pokémon here, either; this place is _empty_ ,” I continued, just as a swarm of Zubat came rushing towards us.

Caesar cried and covered his head. I summoned my Metal Claws.

“Stop!” Tobias held my hands down. The Zubat flew right over our heads. “They’re not trying to hurt us. They’re running away.”

The swarm disappeared back the way we’d come.

“I’ve never seen Zubat behave like that,” I said.

“Not sure you’re the most reliable source, no offence. But you’re not wrong, Zubat don’t act like that.”

~~~

The first staircase was high up on the ledge, across from a deep canyon. We’d have to climb down to reach it.

Caesar clung tight to the rock, flinching every time he lowered himself an inch. Five feet off the ground he slipped and fell. I ran to catch him. I had apparently forgotten that I was two feel tall and weighed five times less than he did. My vision went black for a moment.

“Ahh! Sorry! Sorry, sorry, sorry!” He climbed doff my chest and helped me back up. “Oh, no, are you okay?!”

I coughed, banged on my chest. “Yep. Golden.”

“I’m sorry. It’s just with these hands, or, you know, arm-stubs, I, I-”

“Seriously, don’t worry about it.”

Caesar reluctantly stopped apologising. We made our way down the tunnel, with me leading the pack so the others could see where they were going. There were only a few crystals down here, and it was dark.

Caesar _yipped_.

“It’s all right,” said Tobias, “there’s nothing here.”

I looked over my shoulder. I was staring down the canyon, back the way we’d come. “I don’t think that’s true.”

“I’m trying to reassure him,” he hissed.

“Don’t! Something’s coming!”

Footsteps. A face stepped into the light from the nearest crystal.

A Turtonator. Wild.

Tobias grabbed our wrists and tugged us along. The wild Pokémon. used an Incinerate attack. We stumbled out of the way just in time.

Turtonator, fire-and-dragon-type. Metal Claw wouldn’t be much use against her. Tobias didn’t have type on his side either. The only one who might have an advantage was Caesar.

“She’s gonna eat me!” he sobbed.

“She’s a turtle!” said Tobias. “She’s not going to _eat_ you!”

“Then what _is_ she going to do?!”

Another flash of fire; we jumped out of the way. Tobias and I ended up on one side, our client on the other.

“We’re not going to outrun it!” I said.

““It”? Alex, she's a Pokémon,” said Tobias. “But you’re right, she’s too fast. We have to fight back!”

Tobias fired Water Gun, Caesar used Dragon Breath. She turned her back and the attacks bounced right off. She fired an Incinerate, hitting Tobias in the face.

For a second she just stood eyeing us up. She aimed at me next, lowering herself into a Tackle position. Something caught the corner of my eye. The red badge. It was glowing.

Which gave me a clear image of her just in time to strike her square in the shoulder with Metal Claw. She kneed me int he gut and kicked me into the wall. Tobias’ Water Gun hit her on the head. She retaliated with Smog.

Caesar used Dragon Breath. It her her in the back, did nothing. I Clawed her across the face, and in the split second she was blinded I managed to wriggle free. Incinerate hit me from behind.

Tobias used Rapid Spin. She deflected him easily, and Tackle tossed him across the floor. He forced himself back up.

“Circle her!” he called. “Attack from different angles! She can’t dodge us all!”

She blocked Water Gun with her arms, Dragon Breath with her back, countered Metal Claw with Tackle, retaliated with Smog. A purple haze filled the canyon; I coughed and gagged, bent over double.

She fired an Incinerate attack at Caesar. He covered his head and cried.

Tobias tried to get close enough to hit her with Brine, and once he was within range she punched him in the face. Simple, but effective.

I clutched my chest, gasped for air. I was choking.

My eyes went wide. Some kind of dark grey fog was coming out of my mouth. It looked like-

Wait! This was Smokescreen! This was a move!

While I was busy congratulating myself, the Turtonator Tackled me to the ground. The wind was knocked out of me, and the smoke began to fade. But in the fuzziness in the air she didn’t see Tobias sneaking around her.

The wild Pokémon straightened. Rapid Spin hit her in the stomach. She gasped and covered herself with her arms. Caesar doubled down with Dragon Breath. She cried out, but her voice was cut off mid-way. She was trembling all over, but she wasn’t moving.

“She’s paralysed!” said Tobias. “If we can move fast enough, we can-”

I was still coughing. No more smoke was coming out.

Tobias handed me a Pecha Berry. I screwed up my face and finished all of it. I sucked in cold air and exhaled the poison in a few deep breaths.

“I’ve never seen a Turtonator in Summer Cave before,” he said, “have you?”

Caesar shook his head.

“She must be the one who’s been driving wild Pokémon away.” He tried to conceal a cough.

“Aren’t you going to heal yourself?” I asked.

“That was the last Pecha Berry. It’s fine, it’s fine! It’ll dissipate when we reach the next floor. Dungeon magic. Never fails.”

The stairs took us out of the canyon to a small gap in the cave wall. We just about squeezed through, though Caesar had to step in backwards and we had to pull on his legs to get his head clear.

“If Pokémon are here all the time,” I said, “I’m surprised no one has done anything about that gap.”

“They do,” said Caesar, “they break it open all the time. That’s how I got this,” he pointed to a perfectly clean patch of skin.

I looked at the crack in the wall. “Then why is it still here?”

“It grew back,” he said, as if it were obvious.

We passed down a dim tunnel, scattered with patches of soil. Dead stalks were littered here and there, but there was no fruit to be found. The staircase to the third floor was in the next room.

Across the room, along the tunnel. We turned at a crossroads, and to our right was a troop of Shroomish, lined up like soldiers.

“They’re asleep,” Tobias whispered, “just don’t make any loud noises and they won’t hurt you. And don’t sneeze!”

The blue Pokémon went by on their tip-toes. I tried doing the same, but I guess I still wasn’t used to my toes. I placed one hand on the wall to balance myself.

Something tickled my nose and I covered it with the other. I screwed up my eyes and breathed through my mouth.

Caesar tried and fell on top of Tobias.

One of the Shroomish opened an eye. There was a brief pause.

All twelve of the Mushroom Pokémon jumped down from their plinth like a wave. We ran. The Shroomish were a sea of angry faces, hopping up and down, scattering powder everywhere. We sprinted down the tunnel, took a left, through a long cavern lined with withering plants. Another right. The staircase.

We were ten feet away when a Leech Seed wrapped its tendrils around Caesar’s legs. He fell flat on his face. He put his hands over his head and screamed.

I skidded on the ground, ran back and hauled him to his feet. One of the Shroomish hit me in the face with Sleep Powder.

I’m not sure I was really asleep; my eyes were closed, and I wasn’t moving. I could distantly hear what was happening beside me. I heard the Shroomish surrounding us, heard Caesar shriek and cough and heard his voice drowned out by the angry chatter of the wild Pokémon.

Something cracked against the floor. A flash of light, and suddenly I was flying. The Shroomish fell away as Caesar and I were tugged by some invisible force towards the staircase. We were dropped at Tobias’ feet; he hauled us up onto the steps. We collapsed in a heap on the fourth floor.

“They’re not following,” I said, rubbing my eyes awake.

“Not their territory,” Tobias said, “same rules apply to them as to us.”

This floor was far brighter than the others. The stairs had opened onto a platform, one amongst seven others, all connected to another by a gargantuan crystalline tree. Each branch served as a tunnel to a different region of the Dungeon. It was almost completely clear, I could see right through it. But what I couldn’t see was the bottom of the cavern. It was a sheer drop all the way down.

“Are we going?”

Caesar was already ahead of me. He didn’t look afraid in the slightest.

I rested my weight on one foot. I took a deep breath, place a hand on the wall, stepped off.

“If it can hold me it can definitely hold you,” said the Bagon, jumping up and down to demonstrate.

“It’s just, if you look straight down, it’s like you’re standing on nothing at all.”

Caesar rolled his eyes. “Then don’t look straight down.”

I looked at Tobias, he shrugged. “He’s the expert.”

The path was slippery and hard to walk on. Caesar had no trouble. He kept looking over his shoulder to see if we were still coming.

“We’re still coming,” said Tobias.

At the centre of the tree was a crystal staircase that reached from floor to ceiling. I’m guessing. From where we were we could reach any of the other regions.

“How did you guys get separated?” Tobias asked.

“We heard a roaring sound,” Caesar said, “while we were exploring the Cyan region.” The pointed to one of the branches higher up. “I didn’t see what it was, but someone was chasing us… I wanted to run, he wanted to hide in the Red region until they left us alone. We reached the tree but then we got separated and I kept running, I didn’t… I didn’t do anything…” He put his hands to his face and sobbed. Tobias put a hand on his shoulder.

“You did everything you could. You can’t control everything another Pokémon’s going to do. If you could, I’d be out of a job!”

“Who did the creature chase after?” I asked.

“I didn’t, I didn’t see them anymore after I’d reached the second floor. They must have chased him. Down there.”

The lowermost branch led down to a dark tunnel. From my taillight I could see small scarlet crystals dotted here and there, along with dead, rotting plants.

“The Red region,” said Caesar, “the dragon-type area. I guess it makes sense he’d wait for me in there.”

~~~

The tunnel came to a crossroads at practically every step. We spent at least an hour looping around and around, without any trace that a Corphish had been there. Until Caesar found a thin green stalk on the ground, the only thing left recently alive.

“This looks like a Rare Fruit stem!”

"Rare Fruit?” said Tobias.

“Yeah, it’s our favourite, that’s why we came here in the first place.”

“ _That’s_ why you keep coming back to the place? Fruit?!”

“Not just fruit,” I said, “ _rare_ fruit.”

Tobias ran a hand over his face. He stomped off down the tunnel, along a path of empty stalks. It was uncomfortably quiet, until Caesar said:

“I know what you all must think of me.” He carried on before we could speak. “Tom the Fool and Caesar the Coward, that’s what we’re called in town. I can’t help but feel like the name’s stuck.”

“No, no, of course not!” said Tobias. “I’ve never heard anyone call you that.”

“Hah. Right.” He shook his head. “Tom never wants to sit still. We met because we both had to leave our homes. Tom’s was overrun by predators. Since then he hasn't really been afraid of anything. He says nothing could be scarier than _those_ Pokémon.”

“What kind of Pokémon were they?”

“Sharpedo.”

“Sharpedo?” Tobias repeated. “In the Golden Marsh?”

“They migrated, I think. Some natural disaster destroyed their home. So they came and took Tom’s instead.”

“That doesn’t explain why he isn’t afraid of scary best Pokémon chasing him through a Dungeon,” I said.

“To be honest, I don’t think he really cares anymore. If I’m too afraid to go somewhere, or if he thinks it’ll be too tough for me, he’ll go off by himself, and I’ll stand outside waiting for him.

Tobias and I exchanged a look.

“Doesn’t that sound a little…” Tobias began.

“Unbalanced?” I finished.

“You don’t know us!” Caesar snapped. “Tom is my best friend! We don’t allays have to do the same things…”

“Does he know this is bothering you so much?” Tobias asked.

“No! That would just upset him. I owe him everything I have. He deserves better than that.”

“You don’t think you deserve better as well?”

Caesar didn’t reply. We walked on in silence for a while.

“He’s my only friend.”

“Then he’ll understand,” I said, “won’t he?”

I looked to Tobias for help. Now it was his turn to clam up.

_Click, click, click_.

We froze. Someone was approaching.

_Click, click, click_.

I raised my Claws. Tobias’ hand glowed. Caesar drew in a breath and puffed up his chest.

_Click. Click._

“Hey, hey! There you are!”

“Tom!”

Caesar ran and stretched his arms as wide as he could ever his friend. Tom laughed.

“Now what’s all this about, C? I was only gone for one night!”

Caesar rubbed his eyes. “I know, I know. I just… missed you.”

“Here,” said the Corphish, pulling something out of his bag, “I saved you the biggest one!”

A smile. “Thank you. I was hungry.”

“Tom, have you seen any wild Pokémon back there?” Tobias asked.

“No one except Zoey, but she’s not really wild. You should meet her! Wait there.” He turned and _clicked_ away down the tunnel.

“Tom, wait!”

Caesar took off after him. Of course, we followed. All the while, Tom kept yelling; his voice echoed down the tunnels.

“Zoeeey!”

“Keep it down!” Tobias hissed. “You’re going to rumble us! We need to leave, _now_!”

“I ain’t gonna leave without saying goodbye!”

“I’m sure you’ll run into her the _next_ time you get lose in the cave.”

“Nu-uh! She’s a travellin’ Pokémon, just like us!”

We passed by the staircase. We were getting deeper and deeper into the cave. The crystal crop was thinning. It was getting darker.

“Who exactly are we looking for?” I asked.

“She’s a Ponyta, a Bronco,” Tom said, “what makes ya ask?”

“A Bronco Ponyta,” I said, “a Pokémon with a perpetual flame across their back.”

Tom chuckled. “Yeah, so?”

“So why is it still dark in here?”

The wild Ducklett chase ground to a halt.

Silence.

Gravel fell from the ceiling.

Footsteps.

We spun around. Caesar whimpered. Tom’s mouth hung open. Tobias took a step backwards and held his hand out in front of me.

They were a large, misty-blue Pokémon with white diamond markings, matching the streamers running down their side, and a flowing purple mane behind a diamond-shaped crest.

Suicune. The Aurora Pokémon. A Legendary Beast.

A God.

Suicune raised their head and roared. Caesar screamed and ran but tripped and slammed his noise against the floor. Tom was frozen to the spot. I grabbed the Bagon by the hand and yanked him to his feet, Tobias gave the Corphish a shove to get him moving. The Legendary Pokémon took off after us.

We took a left, they took a left. We took a right, they followed. We came to a crossroads and ran ahead. Caesar and Tom look a left.

“What are they doing?!” said Tobias.

Suicune took a turn. I made to chase after them but he held up his hand to stop me.

“Alex,” he said, “you do realise if we go down there, we might not make it out alive.”

“After spending the day with Caesar I can tell you he _definitely_ won’t make it out alive.” I kept going. Tobias ran behind me.

“You don’t have to put your life on the line!” he said. “For a Pokémon you don’t even know!”

“How is that any different from what you do?”

“This is something I chose a long time ago! I’ve had a very long time to think about this, you haven’t!”

“In a life-and-death situation there isn’t time to _think_!”

We came to another crossroads.

We heard voices, panicked.

We went straight down and the tunnel opened up into a small room. Tom was shielded Caesar, who was shaking head-to-toe. Suicune had backed them into a corner.

“Stay back!” the Corphish yelled with as much courage as he could. “Or I’ll attack! I’ll do it! I’ll do it!”

Suicune was staring them down. Their head snapped around when they heard us coming. The Legendary Pokémon roared.

Tom used a Bubble attack. Suicune dodged, jumping over our heads. They stood between us and the exit, streamers flicking, mane shimmering.

“We’re trapped!” Caesar cried. “There’s no way out! We’re all gonna die here!”

“I’m not gonna let them hurt you!” said Tom.

“But they’re gonna hurt you!”

Suicune took a step froward, Tobias and I took a step back. They grinned. I tried to flank them, they leapt to the side to block me. Tobias tried to slip past, they leapt again.

Suicune fired a Shadow Ball. We jumped out of the way and it burst against the wall. Tobias fired a Water Gun, they dodged. Another Shadow Ball crashed above his head, raining gravel down on top of him.

I raised my Claws. Suicune met my eyes, daring me to do it.

Tobias pushed himself to his feet. They prepared another attack. I made a run at them. Shadow Ball exploded against my chest.

“Alex!”

I skidded backwards. Tom let out a battle cry and rushed them, claw raised. For half a second, the Suicune’s eyes widened. They fired another Shadow Ball. It burst against the ground just in front of Tom; he covered his mouth and coughed.

“Stay back!” said Tobias. He fired another Water Gun. The Suicune leapt backwards.

“They’re dodging…” I said.

“What?”

‘They keep dodging our attacks! They’re a _Legendary Pokémon_ , why would they need to dodge attacks from _us_?!”

Tom held out both claws and launched Bubble. Again they dodged, fired Shadow Ball. Tom tucked. It kept going, and hit Caesar instead

“Caesar!” Tom cried, running to his side. “Oh Gods, Caesar, are you okay?!”

Caesar lifted his head, nodded. “I’m… I’m okay…”

“Something’s wrong with them!” I said. The Legendary Pokémon glared at me. “Everyone, fire at once! Don’t let them dodge!”

Suicune’s eyes widened. They jumped out of the way of Water Gun, Bubble, Dragon Breath. I brought up Claw up under their chin.

Then, suddenly, they were gone, as if they were never there at all. In their place was a small black Pokémon lying flat on the ground, out of breath. Tobias unpinned his Badge. She picked herself up and bolted. Tobias’ Rapid Spin hit her from behind.

I helped hold her down while Tobias held out his Badge.

“Wait! Wait! I’m not a criminal! It was just a prank!”

“Threatening a Pokémon’s life is not a prank!”

“I wasn’t! I wasn’t threatening you! It was pretend, it was just an illusion!”

“Does that look like an illusion?!” Tobias pointed to the mark on the side of Caesar’s head.

The Pokémon looked away. “I’m sorry. I didn’t meant to hurt anyone. I’m sorry, Tom.”

Tom blinked. “How… Zoey?!”

“My name isn’t Zoey,” she said, “it’s Zorua.”

Tobias sighed. He went down on one knee in front of her. “All right, look, I’m willing to believe this is just a stupid joke gone too far, and that you didn’t mean to hurt anyone. But there are still going to have to be consequences to your actions.” Zorua was looking down the tunnel. “And I can promise they’ll go a lot easier on you if you aren’t also carrying a charge for resisting arrest.”

Her eyes moved to the cave roof. “Looks like I won’t need to.”

A rumbling sound. I looked up. The ceiling was breaking apart.

Rocks fell down on top of us. I cried and covered my head with my Metal Claws. Tobias grabbed me and lay down on top of me.

The the rocks disappeared. The ceiling was whole again. Zorua was gone.

“An illusion,” Tobias said.

“Moltres damnit,” I said, brushing myself off, “I should have realised!”

“No. Don’t beat yourself up about it. It wasn’t worth the risk.”

~~~

We sucked down to the third floor of the Orange region as discreetly as we could. The Shroomish had gone back to sleep in their cleanly aligned formation. Down the stairs to the second floor canyon, we came to a shallow portion of the wall, the part we’d climbed down. So far there had been no sign of our friend.

We were working out the logistics of how to make the climb.

“I could put y’all in bubbles,” said Tom, forming one between his claws. He stretched it over Caesar’s head, and he went floating up into the air. Surprisingly, he was overjoyed.

“I’m flying!” His voice was muffled slightly. “Look! Tom! Look at me!”

“I see you!” the Corphish called. “Bubbles, huh? Who knew?”

Caesar blew hard; he was inches away from the ledge. The bubble brushed against the wall. It popped. Caesar dropped like a stone.

Tom raised his claws. A Protect dome appeared around Caesar a few inches from the ground. Caesar picked himself off and hopped to the floor, unharmed.

“How did you do that?” said Tobias. “I’ve never seen a Protect bubble like that!”

“Me neither,” I said.

“That’d be from a long history o’ catchin’ this dummy every time he throws himself off a cliff or somethin’ similar. You blew too hard, that’s why it popped,” he said to Caesar.

“I couldn’t get any higher.”

“You gotta blow gentle like. You outta learn how to control your breathing, it’ll give you a real advantage in a battle. But I guess you’re right; I don’t wanna be fallin’ from _that_ height, Protect or no Protect.”

So we took a different approach. Tom put his claws against the stone, and Tobias and I managed to push him up a few feet before the rock became too smooth and we fell in a heap on the ground.

The noise echoed down the canyon.

We waited.

A ball of fire swallowed Tobias. The Turtonator came charging down the canyon, head lowered. Tom fired Bubble. She turned her back and blocked. I tried to move around to her front side. She smacked me in the face with her tail.

Caesar used Dragon Breath and it landed. The wild Pokémon roared outrage. She hit him with a cloud of Smog. Tobias fired Water Gun, she protected her torso with her arms. Tom raised his claws and came running at her, so she kicked him in the face.

She picked him up by the tail. Fire formed between her jaws.

A thunderous roar echoed down the canyon. The Turtonator stopped dead, turned her head.

“Suicune” was barrelling down the canyon. The Turtonator dropped Tom to the ground and ran for dear life. Zorua kept chasing her until the predator has disappeared into the darkness.

“Zorua,” Tom said as Caesar helped him back up, “thank you.”

Suicune was gone. The small black Pokémon didn’t meet his eye. “I wanted to make things right. For what I did. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” said Tom, “you don’t have to say anymore than that. C?”

“Oh, yes,” Caesar said hastily, “of course. It was just a joke. No harm done.”

Zorua smiled. Tobias folded his arms. He wasn’t feeling the love tonight.

“Tch. I guess I’d better turn myself in now, huh?”

“You know the rules,” said Tobias, taking out his Badge.

“But do _you_ know the rule about catching a Zorua?”

Tobias made to grab her. Suddenly she was ten feet away, and Tobias was grasping at air.

“Don’t get your hopes up!”

Zorua laughed, skipping off down the canyon.

Tobias sighed. “So close.”

“We could have used to her to get up that wall,” I said. “We could have ridden on Suicune’s back.”

“… Alex, do you understand what an illusion actually is?”

“I don’t understand anything anymore.”


	3. Team Treasure

“ _If somebody wins a battle, then, without doubt, someone else has lost the battle. That's the way of battle. A real warrior doesn't dash off in pursuit of the next victory, nor throw a fit when experiencing a loss. A real warrior ponders the next battle.” - Grimsley, Pokémon Black and White_

I didn’t understand what was causing the headaches. But they were still happening.

They were irregular, and would come at all times of the day. I’d put a hand to the side of my head and have to stop what I was doing for a moment. Then I’d be somewhere else, or someone would be waiting for me to answer a question. Or an attack would be coming right at me.

The Gravelerock hit me on the nose.

“I did give you a heads up,” said Tobias.

It was a training day. Yesterday we’d travelled back from Hallore Village, collected our reward, and accepted a free dinner on behalf of the Academy. Tobias had decided we needed to iron out my abilities a little more before the next mission. We’d hoped I’d at least remember another move; a fire-type move, preferably. No such luck.

Today we were getting to grips with items. An Iron Thorn was now in my hand.

“What am I doing with this again?” I asked.

“It’s a throwing item,” he said, “so you’re throwing it.”

I threw it. It landed halfway.

“Should I have been more specific?”

“Maybe I’m just not an _item_ Pokémon.”

“You need to learn these things, guy.”

And I wasn’t learning. None of my other moves were coming back to me, no special skills, no stand-out talents. No memories, either. Hell, we hadn’t even managed to activate Blaze.

The sun had set. It was time to settle down for bed.

I ran my hands over my face. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Shouldn’t I be good at _something_?”

“Be patient!” he said. “I’m sure something will come to you tomorrow!”

The first notice board was almost empty. Aside from a couple of A-Rank missions, there was nothing.

I had overslept. Tobias had tried to wake me, and when I stayed under, he had panicked and called for help. Karas had come down, jabbed me in the side, and I had bolted upright. No coma yet.

Now we were in the Academy and there were only three missions left at our level, all of which were on the red board. Two E-Ranks, one D.

“I suppose we should be challenging ourselves,” said Tobias. “Oh… Maybe not… Hey, take a look at this one!”

He was pointing to one of the E-Ranks, but I was reading the one he’d passed over.

Mission: Retrieve the Stolen Pearls!

Clientele: Hector (Spoink), Melody (Clamperl)

Location: Kingdra Canyon

Rank: D

Reward: P1,000

Meet-Up: Academy Meet-Up Spot

Description: Team Treasure stole our pearls! Please get them back for us, they mean so much to both of us! These are dangerous criminals and we can’t fight them!

Outlaws: Sasha (Charmander), Saffron (Skarmory), Louis (Shuckle)

“A Charmander,” I breathed.

“An outlaw,” said Tobias.

I reached out my hand. Tobias slapped it away.

“Ow! Mean!”

“If you take that flier you won’t be able to put it back until you complete it, those are the rules.”

“What if you _can’t_ complete it?”

“You answer to Desiree.” He nodd ed to a tall, imposing Pokémon in the corner. A Tsareena. He shivered.

“What’s she going to do,” I said, “step on me?”

“You’d better hope not if you value your ribcage.”

I pointed to the flier. “This is another Charmander! You said yourself there were hardly any of us in Itori. This Pokémon could know me!”

“You don’t want that,” he said grimly, “believe me you don’t. Sasha isn’t just a petty criminal, she’s a nasty piece of work.”

“You know her?”

“I know _of_ her. She and her _friends_ were formerly the members of Team Treasure, Bronze Rank; although I wish people wouldn’t still call them that, because they’re _not_ Treasure Hunters. They went renegade about a year ago after they were caught raiding the cellars. The Academy Pokémon tried to catch them but they’d premeditated everything down to their escape route. They got away with it.” His face was dark. “They still wear their scarves too. It _disgusts_ me.”

“What about their Badges?”

“They shouldn’t be working. I _pray_ they aren’t working. Pokémon like that shouldn’t have even _more_ ways to screw with people.”

“Do you know where she came from?”

“Team Origin hatched her from an Egg a client gave to them. I don’t think we’d be able to track down where it came from.”

“Parenthood seems like a strange reward for a mission,” I said.

“You can give the Egg to Chansey at the daycare if you don’t want to keep it,” said Tobias. “But I don’t know, I kind of like the idea. Raising a Pokémon, caring for them, helping them grow.”

I shuffled my feet.

“No offence but you’re hardly as adorable as a Togepi.” He looked at the flier. “Neither was Sasha. She came out wrong. Vicious. “Untameable”. Since she was born, Masuda told us. They call it Bad Egg. I don’t know if I believe it; I tend to think bad Pokémon _choose_ to go down that path. I mean, that’s what I hope… But either way, we don’t want anything to do with her, and she probably won’t know anything that we don’t.”

“Probably?”

“She’s been gone for a year. You’ve been here twelve days, coma days included.”

I tilted my head. “I don’t know. It if was me, I’d want to know where my Egg came from. And she’s had a whole year to find out. Sounds like she’d have a better chance of knowing than anyone else here.”

Tobias was still reluctant.

“Aren’t we meant to be challenging ourselves? If these are tough Pokémon, they’re exactly the kind of Pokémon we should be taking on, right?”

Tobias opened his mouth, closed it again. He sighed, and waved me on.

I took the flier from the board.

Kingdra Canyon was a soft-brown, dusty wasteland. Besides the battered wooden sign and the scattering of dead black trees, the place of barren.

“If you took a Kingdra out here they’d be bones in a matter of hours,” I said. “Oh, Moltres, is that-”

“That’s a tree branch, Alex, there are no _bones_ lying around.”

“I’m surprised there are even trees.”

“Dead trees. Nothing grows here anymore. This used to be a deep river filled with Horsea and Seadra. There were often King’s Rocks found embedded in the rocks; hence, Kingdra River. But they’re gone now, along with the river.”

“What happened to it?”

Tobias looked at a dent in the wall, where a ragged ring of rock had been dug out.

“Greed.”

We kicked up clouds of dust as we walked. I banged on my chest, coughed, dipped water from our pouch into my eyes. At least it wasn’t a Bubblebeam.

A shadow passed over us. I craned my head up to see three large bird Pokémon circling above.

“What are those things?” I asked.

“Those are Mandibuzz…”

The wild Pokémon turned in harmony, each following the other’s tail. From here, we couldn’t see their eyes; or what they were _actually_ following.

Tobias put a hand on my arm.

“Keep moving.”

Around half an hour later, he started coughing as well. At first I thought it was just the dust, but then he started to hack violently. He covered his mouth and tried to hide it.

“Tobias.”

He rubbed his throat. “It’s, aha, it’s just this heat.”

“Oh, I though it was the dust. Are you sure it’s the heat? It feels fine to me.”

“You're a _fire-type_ ,” he said with a chuckle, “this is the perfect temperature for you. _Agh_.”

“Do you need to sit down?”

“No, no, I’m okay.” He opened up his water pouch and took a couple of swallows. “Just dehydration, don’t worry about it.”

“Can’t you just drink your own water?”

“Excuse me?”

“You can shoot out whole streams of water to attack Pokémon but you can’t just spit out some to drink?”

“You want me to drink my own fluids?”

“Ew. No. But I mean, in an emergency…”

“In an emergency if you ran out of oxygen, could you reignite your tail with your own fire?”

“Not without- ohh, I see.”

We stopped to rest around midday. There was no shade, so I stood between Tobias and the sun. I was doing an excellent job of being watchmon, I was thinking to myself.

“I’m doing an excellent job of being watchmon,” I said.

“Hey, that’s super.” His voice was muffled by his shell. “Make sure you watch the sky as well.”

I scoffed. “Of course I am!” I looked up at the sky. Oh.

“Hey, Tobias?”

“Mm?”

“The Manbibuzz are gone.”

Tobias came out of his shell. “Don’t let down your guard, they’re likely… I’m sorry, the what?”

“The Manbibuzz, those bird Pokémon, they’re gone.”

“Do you mean the Mandibuzz, Alex?”

“You said Manbibuzz.”

“I definitely said Manbibuzz.”

“That doesn’t sound right…”

“I don’t care if it doesn’t “sound right”, that’s what it is.”

“What makes you the expert?”

He just looked at me. I crossed my arms.

“Just because I have amnesia doesn’t mean I’m stupid.”

“Having amnesia doesn’t make you stupid, thinking the pronunciation is “Manbibuzz” makes you stupid.”

I stepped aside. Tobias blinked away from the sun.

“What now, smart guy?”

Tobias climbed out and stepped into my shadow. I stepped back, he stepped forward.

“Alex, we could be doing this all day.”

I stepped to the side. “I’ve got nowhere else to be!”

Something moved in the corner of my eyes. I turned my head and almost jumped out of my skin. The three vulture-like Pokémon had swooped down into the canyon and were heading towards us at break-neck speed.

“Tobias, the Mandibuzz!”

Tobias jumped into a battle stance. His hand glowed. “Hey, you got it right, good job!”

“Ehh shut up.”

The leading Mandibuzz opened her beak and screeched. Tobias’ Brine hit her in the face, knocking her off-course and into the Pokémon to her right. The left Mandibuzz’ beak glowed. I hid us with Smokescreen, we dodged.

The other two picked themselves up. Water Gun pushed one of them back, but the other slipped through with Feint Attack. My Metal Claw countered the last one’s Fury Attack. The leader dug her talons into my back; Tobias repelled her with Water Gun. The Mandibuzz tailing him hit him with Air Slash. I let myself be distracted for a half-second. Too long. Fury Attack stabbed me in the neck.

I covered my face to protect myself. I tried slashing at her but she flapped her wings and pulled away. The other two were trying to claw their way into Tobias’ shell. I covered myself with a Smokescreen to buy myself a few seconds. If I attacked the leader, her friend would attack me. If I attacked her friend, the leader would attack. So instead I kicked Tobias.

His shell rattled to the ground and he got to his feet and took out two Iron Thorns, tossed one to me. The Mandibuzz flew up, swooped back down. Tobias hit one in the neck, tucked his head into his shell to dodge the other. By some strange logic, I was wielding the thorn like a dagger. It broke against the Mandibuzz’s chest. She summoned a white glowing bone and beat me over the head with it. I guess I was being a real…

Bonehead.

Tobias pulled me aside.

“You’ll get a lot more power out of them if you toss them,” he said patiently.

“I know,” was all I could say.

The Mandibuzz circled.

“It’s fine, most Pokémon never figure out how you’re really meant to use them, anyway.”

“Don’t you just throw it?”

He span it in his hand. “ _This_ is how you use an Iron Thorn!”

The Mandibuzz dived. He tossed it into the air, fired Water Gun. The thorn stabbed into the underside of the leader’s wing, and she lost the air. She took her friend down with her; we jumped out of the way to dodge the last one’s talons. Tobias raised his hand. Brine took care of her.

He took a deep breath to collect himself. “I am the expert.”

“That’s okay, you be the expert, I’ll be the eye candy.”

“You were almost Mandibuzz candy.”

One of the predators opened an eye. We hurried along. Tobias opened his water pouch, took a swallow.

“That’s the last of it.”

“Any chance of us stumbling upon an oasis?”

“Oases are found in the _desert_ , not in the clifflands,” he corrected.

“… That’s nice, Tobias.”

“There’s nothing for the miles or so. But the valley is connected to a dam, we’ll be able to refill there if we make it to the staircase.”

“That’s ominous.”

“I just meant if we don’t find them on this floor.” He rubbed his eyes. “Although I’d really rather just get this over with.”

“I thought you’d be a little more psyched about this,” I said. “Come on, we’re about to take down three famous criminals! We’ll be heroes! We’ll be- why is your face doing that?”

“Alex,” he said, patiently, “we’re not gonna beat them.”

I blinked. “I’m sorry, what?”

“The best we can hope for is to cause enough trouble to make them give up the pearls. We’re not strong enough to restrain them.” He held up his Badge. “ _This_ isn’t strong enough to restrain them.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously. Teams have to earn these privileges. Team Treasure was a Bronze-Rank Team when they were kicked out. But then they had a twenty-five-item bag, spaces for twelve more members, and Badges strong enough to restrain Pokémon three times their own sizes. They used those privileges to attack Pokémon on Academy ground and _steal_ from us. Can you imagine the damage they might have done if they’d have the power of a Gold-Rank Team? Of a Platinum?”

I thought for a moment. “What if a Platinum-Rank Team does something bad?”

Tobias rubbed his forehead. “Then Zygarde protect us all.”

Louis the Shuckle held the stolen pearls up above his head.

“No scratches,” he said, satisfied. Saffron the Skarmory held the sack open and he tucked them away inside.

“Depending on who we sell them to, scratches might not be a problem,” she said.

Sasha the Charmander chuckled. “We won’t be selling pearls that big to be ground up, Saff. Those things are worth a hell of a lot more to us whole.”

They were standing beside a huge wooden dam. We were watching them from a cleft in the canyon wall, just past a sharp turn. For a moment I could have sworn I was looking at my twin sister. She was a Charmander, just like the Charmander in my reflection. But before long I began to see the differences.

Thinner, meaner eyes. Slightly taller. Her tail fire reached a couple of inches higher than mine, and was a warm bend of oranges, where mine was a stark red-and-yellow.

We waited until all three of them had their backs to us. Then Tobias tossed an Iron Thorn, fired Water Gun. It struck Louis in the side of the face. Team Treasure snapped to attention.

Tobias aimed Water Gun at the other Charmander, I summoned Metal Claw and went for the Shuckle. Sasha dodged the attack, Louis overpowered me with Gyro Ball.

Saffron took to the air, opened her mouth and screeched. A horrendous, teeth-shattering sound came out. Tobias and I covered our ears, to no avail.

Sasha’s claws grew three sizes and she Slashed Tobias across the face. He tried to raise his hand but she caught his wrist and tossed him into the dirt. Louis slammed into my stomach.

Tobias got to his feet and put distance between him and the other Charmander. Saffron used Air Cutter, he ducked into his shell to absorb the blow. Sasha kicked him over.

I Clawed Louis across the cheek, vaulted over the back of his shell. Sasha waved her hand; Saffron put herself between us, and her Steel Wing hit me in the face.

Tobias used Rapid Spin, Louis countered with Gyro Ball. The Shuckle was far stronger.

Saffron tried biting down on my hand, I turned it to metal and pulled it free, blew smoke in her face. The Skarmory coughed and sputtered, I scratched her with both Claws. I looked around for Sasha, but she was gone. There was a hole in the ground where she had been standing.

Tobias used Water Gun. Gyro Ball cut brought through it and slammed him into the timber wall. Sasha burst out of the ground in front of me.  She winked, span and kicked me in the jaw. I fell to the ground, tried to scramble away. She stepped on my chest. I tried to blind her with Smokescreen but she covered my mouth with her hand and made me choke on it.

The red badge glowed. Her eyes widened, and her attention was drawn away for a brief moment.

I drove a Claw into her ankle, knocked her hand away and blew smoke into her face. She coughed and covered her mouth, I kicked her legs out from under her and got to my feet.

To my right, Tobias narrowly dodged Louis’ Rock Throw. Saffron looked from them to us, conflicted.

I grabbed my partner by the arm and used another Smokescreen to cover us.

“Saffron!” Sasha barked. “Air Cutter!”

We ducked, chips of wood rained down on our heads. Tobias tossed another Iron Thorn. It struck the Skarmory in the side of the neck, and she screeched, pulling away.

“Louis! Sandstorm!”

The Shuckle spread his forelegs wide; wind and sand picked up and a formed a tornado around him. The Sandstorm swallowed us. I covered my eyes and tried to squint through. Sasha was gone again.

Saffron swooped down, beak glowing. Tobias ducked into his shell just in time and her beak was jammed into the dam. He took out another Iron Thorn.

Louis trapped me in a Sticky Web. His Rock Throw hit me in the chest. I tried blowing smoke in his face, but of course, the Sandstorm picked it up and carried it away. He ducked back into his shell.

Sasha still hadn’t emerged. But she wouldn’t be able to stay down there forever.

Saffron dodged Tobias’ Brine, slammed him into the wall with her wing. As she wheeled back around Tobias tossed another Thorn, fired Water Gun. It struck her in the back. He raised his hand. This time, Brine hit its mark. Saffron fell in a heap on the floor.

Louis came barrelling towards me. I did the only thing I could: toss the Iron Thorn, cover my head, and pray. His shell hit me in the shoulder. I gritted my teeth and braced for the next attack. But nothing came. Tobias looked from me to the Shuckle and back again.

Sasha broke free from the earth, kicked me down, stomped on my tail.

She raised her claw, stopped. She saw her two companions, lying still on the ground. The canyon was quiet for a moment.

“Saffron?” she said, with just a hint of panic. “Louis?”

A soft slithering sound. Louis slowly climbed out of his shell. From his right eye all the way down to his left foot was a bloody red scratch. An Iron Thorn rattled to the ground.

Sasha gave a primal growl and raised her claws. Tobias used Water Gun but she dodged it. She Slashed me across the face, raised her claw and Slashed again, and again; Slashed at Tobias with one hand and me with the other.

I took a deep breath. But instead of smoke, a tornado of fire came from my mouth. Sasha’s eyes widened. Fire Spin trapped her in place. I pulled my tail free.

Louis’ Sticky Web wrapped around my face, covering my eyes.

Tobias used Water Gun. Sasha bore the brunt of the attack, then retaliated with Fire Fang, dragging him to the ground and biting down on his cheek. Tobias pushed and kicked and scream but Sasha held on tight, tearing at him.

Louis used Rock Throw. My Metal Claw just about broke through it.

Tobias kneed her in the stomach, put a hand to her face, doused her with Brine. Sasha screamed and pulled away. Tobias charged another attack but before he could fire, she escaped into the earth.

Louis ducked into his shell. I dodged, he landed with his feet on the wall, hit me in the back.

Sasha came back up and kicked Tobias in the chest. He charged a Water Gun but she Slashed him across the face. He ducked into his shell.

I trapped Louis in a Fire Spin.

Tobias’ Rapid Spin drove into Sasha’s stomach, slamming her into the dam.

_Crack_.

Tobias landed on his feet. Sasha opened her eyes. Neither of them made any move to attack the other. The fire surrounding Louis was crackling away.

_Creeeeeeeak…_

“What the hell did you do?!” Sasha snapped at my partner.

Louis dragged himself over to Saffron and shook her awake. She raised her head, and her eyes widened.

“Get us out of here,” Sasha ordered the Skarmory.

“I can hardly move…”

“Dead Pokémon don’t move! Up, now!”

Tobias was pulling me along as well.

“Alex, you have to move faster.”

“I’m trying…”

“The dam is about to break. We need to get out of here.”

With a great straining effort, Saffron lifted Louis and Sasha into the sky, the fire petering out behind them.

She looked over her shoulder at us.

“Shouldn’t we help them? If the dam breaks they won’t stand a chance!”

“You are _not_ getting us all killed for the sake of two stupid kids!” Sasha barked. “If they didn’t have an escape plan they shouldn't have come here in the first place!”

Saffron forced herself to turn away. Louis pulled himself and Sasha higher up around her waist.

I stopped running. I looked over my shoulder. They hadn’t taken the sack with them.

“The pearls.” 

“Alex-”

“This is our mission!” I barked.

Tobias flinched. The dam creaked again. I broke away and lifted the sack up over my shoulder, started hobbling down the canyon. Tobias took the pearls from me and pulled me along at a run. The dam groaned.

Saffron stumbled in the air. My strength was quickly giving way. In the distance, a wake of Mandibuzz stood between us and freedom, on the ground, on the rock walls, on a decaying tree sticking out of the stone. Saffron tried to pass, narrowly dodged a Dark Pulse attack. They weren't going to let them through.

“Get out of here!” Tobias yelled. “It’s not safe! The dam is breaking!”

The leader of the wake spread her wings and screeched, her Pokémon copied her. The dam groaned again, louder than ever. Then there was a loud sloshing of water as something slammed against it. Something huge. Something alive.

“ _Get away from here!_ ”

Another groan. Another slam. A crack. A pause.

Then the something crashed right through it, sending hundreds of broken logs tumbling away as a torrent of water rushed through the valley. A great hungry roar filled the canyon. From around the corner we saw the tips of a blue trident. The Mandibuzz finally took to the air, screaming.

The Pokémon rounded the corner, bashing into the walls as he went. I risk a glance over my shoulder. A Gyarados. A _Giant_. As tall as the canyon walls, long enough that I couldn’t even see his tail.

Tobias pulled me to the wall.

“ _Climb!_ ”

We made it off the ground just in time. The water rushed beneath our feet. The Gyarados’ fangs glowed pale blue.

The water froze.

He slammed his head into head into the ice. Shards cut into us and blurred out vision.

“Keep going!”

It was a sheer wall and there was very little to grab onto. I dug my Metal Claws in. They scraped precariously against the surface.

“Alex, _please!_ You have to move faster!”

He put the sack in his mouth, grabbed my hand and helped me up. My foot slipped. Tobias held on tight as I dangled in mid-air.

The water rushed beneath us. Wood went flying. The Gyarados was several feet away. There was no way we’d climb up in time. This was it. I was going to die. I was only twelve days old, and I was about to die.

“No.”

The Mandibuzz were in a frenzy, crashing into each other in their panic to escape. One flew right into Saffron’s path; before she could pull away they slammed into one another. While she was disoriented another one knocked her out of the way. She flapped her wings, hovered, recovered. Then a straggler bumped into Sasha. She lost her grip.

“ _Sasha!_ ” her friends cried.

The Skarmory swooped down. Louis grabbed her by the hand.

They were inches away from us. I took the last chance I would get. I placed my foot on a ledge, jumped, seized the other Charmander by the tail.

“What the hell are you doing?!” she barked.

“Tobias, grab on!”

Tobias jumped, caught my tail, pulled himself up to my waist.

The Gyarados raised his head.

“Saffron, _move!_ ” Louis yelled.

Saffron flapped as hard as she could. Sasha kicked, pushed, dug her foot into my eye. I held on for dear life. For mine and for Tobias’.

Saffron pulled with all her might. An orange ball of energy formed in the Giant Gyarados’ mouth. For a brief moment, all five of us were paralysed by the glow.

The Gyarados fired Hyper Beam. Saffron swerved to the side. The second floor appeared below us. We went rolling across the ground.

The Gyarados roared. The dust settled. Team Treasure were several feet away from us.

Saffron was still. Louis was struggling to keep his head up. Sasha pushed herself up. She was shaking.

Tobias raise this hand but she dug below the earth to dodge. I scrambled to my feet, too late. She tore out of the ground, kicked me in the back. I banged my chin on the ground and saw spots.

The Giant thrashed in the canyon behind us. His Hydro Pump sent water washing over the canyon walls.

Tobias used Rapid Spin, Sasha ducked, and he skidded to a halt at the end of the cliff. Louis caught him in a Sticky Web, tugged him away from the edge. Tobias picked himself up and tore the webbing from his shell. Brine clashed with Rock Throw.

Sasha grabbed me by the tail and tugged me closer, brought her face close to mine. She was squeezing so hard the fire was flickering.

“You’re going to pay for what you did to him.” She raised a claw.

I used Fire Spin. The fire wrapped around us both, pinning us together. She recoiled, for half as second. Too long. I pushed her away, jumped into a crouch, raised my Claws.

“ _Don’t!_ ” She raised her hands to protect herself. Metal Claw cut her across her right palm.

She screamed and tried to back away, but she was still trapped in the Fire Spin. Something grabbed ahold of me, pulled me free. Sasha collapsed to the ground, clutching her hand.

“What happened?!” Tobias asked, eyes wide.

I turned away. Louis was stretched out on the ground, red scar visible for all to see. To his right, Saffron still hadn’t moved. The fire died, but Sasha didn’t stand back up.

The canyon floor shook. The Giant Gyarados’ fangs turned to ice. He ripped into the canyon wall, sending rocks scattering.

“The pearls are safe,” he said.

The bamboo creaked.

“Are you coming in?”

“In a minute,” I said, “ I’m going to get some air in my tail.”

“Sea air?”

I wandered along the beach, sat down at the edge of the water. The damp sand must have stung my feet. Apparently I didn't care.

I can’t say exactly what I thought about. Maybe nothing at all. I just sat and watched the waves wash up on the shore. Vivillon, yellow with brown edges, followed the last light of the sun. Bubbles floated over my head. There was a clicking sound behind me, up on the rocks. Krabby, three of them this time. I smiled. For a moment.

Tobias came and sat beside me. We didn’t say anything. We just watched the bubbles shining over the sea.


	4. Artists Must Suffer For The Art, That’s Why It’s Called PAINting

_“If you want to avoid battles, stay away from grassy areas!” - A signpost in Viridian Forest, Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow_

The Pelipper were soaring above the ocean. Six in total, carrying the mail for the whole town. And one of them had a delivery for us! A letter, attached to the Daily Bulletin. Tobias watched impatiently as it fell.

“Come on come on come _on_.”

He snatched them out of the air, dropped the Bulletin, ripped the letter open.

“Is it something for us?” I asked.

Tobias immediately screwed it up and tossed it in the ocean.

“Junk mail.”

“You sound upset.”

The letter disappeared beneath the waves.

“Hey, I just realised it’s our first day off together! Why don’t I show you around Emerald Town?”

“You don’t want to talk about what was in that “junk mail”?”

“No,” Tobias said quickly, “I don’t.”

So we didn’t.

First, he took me to meet Alfred, a gentle elderly Venusaur stuffed into a precariously small pottery stall. The Torkoal brothers, Terry and Jerry, took orders and carried the ceramics across town. One of them was halfway down the road with a blue vase balanced on the back of his shell. Slow and steady.

On display was a black herb pot patterned with orange fire. The shape of the flames looked a little bit like the badge we’d found in Oran Berry Cave. I asked Tobias if we could buy it.

“We don’t have that kind of money, Alex,” he whispered.

I blushed, apologised to the Venusaur, and we left.

“I’m sorry,” I said when we were out of earshot, “I don’t know why I just assumed…”

“Hey,  Emma !” Tobias waved.

A Chikorita was handing out flowers from a basket. An Aromatisse slipped one into his crown-patterned orange scarf.

“Tobias!” she said. “This is for you. And this one’s for you!”

Tobias was given a marigold, mine was a love-in-mist. Then she skipped along to the next unwitting customer.

“I don’t get it, how does she get paid?”

“She doesn’t,” Tobias said, tucking the flower into his scarf. “Not everyone works for money around here. Kangaskhan and her family have run the storage for years and they don’t get paid for it. They get what they need from gathering Pokémon, or they gather for themselves, and they’re content with it. Simpler life, you know? A lot of Pokémon prefer it that way.”

“But not you?”

Tobias laughed. “No. Not me.”

In the town square was Emerald Town’s choir, Harmony Gold. It was made up of thirty Pokémon of all different species and occupation; there were even a few Treasure Hunters here and there. A Klang named Sawyer was the conductor. Their gears turned one way and the another, instructions impossible to follow from the outside.

_You and me, we’re a miracle_

_Meant to be and nothing can change it_

_Mountains move_

_And oceans part_

_When they are standing in our way_

_You and me, we're a miracle_

_Angels stand watching over us_

_And heaven shines upon us_

_Every day_

Across the fountain I met Tonio the Taillow, who cooked and sold exotic dishes from all over Itori and beyond. Mojca the Venomoth ran the Venomoth Dojo, and at Riolu’s Ring, Xavier would give you one-on-one training. To the south of town were the Goldmor Hotsprings, watched over by husband and wife Drew and Firenze, Golduck and Heatmor. Marcellina, a Floette with an orange flower holstered onto her back, was the town mechanic. She had shelves and shelves displaying her creations, all for sale at prices Tobias told me a Gold-Rank Team could hardly afford. One in particular that caught my eye was some kind of cannon, sitting on the floor, roughly the size of a Torracat. It was red-and-black, with the face of an Incineroar as its muzzle.

The last stall we visited was run by a Shiinotic named Hage. A Pokémon of Mana, an esoteric and long-overlooking branch of magic, according to them. Behind them stood a great tungsten cauldron with bubbling, pale-purple liquid letting off little sparks of gold.

Tobias stopped before we reached the stall.

“You’re not coming?” I asked.

“Oh, no. This is something a Pokémon should experience for the first time on his own. Here, you’ll need this.”

He handed me a single Geo Pebble.

The Shiinotic waved. “Hello!! Welcome to the Mana Cauldron! What would you like to give?”

“Give?”

“To the cauldron.”

“What am I meant to give to the cauldron?”

“Whatever you desire to give to the cauldron.”

“I have one Geo Pebble.”

“Perfect!”

I handed it over. They took in their hands like it was a precious jewel.

“Much luck!”

They dropped the Geo Pebble into the cauldron. For a shelf full of vials they took out a small, white liquid and poured in a single drop. They stared for a few moments then nodded, satisfied.

“Done!”

“What is?”

“Your Mana has increased!”

“My what now?”

Hage gave a good-natured laugh. “Your Mana.”

I looked at the cauldron, back at the Shiinotic. “My what?”

Tobias finally showed some mercy and came to rescue me. He concealed his laughter until Hage was out of sight.

“What was that about?” I asked.

“Nobody knows, don’t worry about it.”

I looked down at myself. “I don’t _feel_ any different.”

“You sound disappointed.”

“I don’t know, I just thought it might… change me, in some way. I don’t know why.”

“Your memory?”

“Yeah,” I said, “maybe that's it.”

Lastly, he took me to Smeargle Gallery, an open exhibition where the town’s artists gathered to hone their craft. Pink-white almond trees hemmed us in from all sides. There were paintings, sculptures, live performances. A Bonsly was weeping tears of joy as a Dartrix complemented his painting of a Sceptile watching over the town.

“Mayor Mortimer,” Tobias explained, “you’ll see paintings or drawings of him all over the place, but you’ll only see him in the flesh if there’s trouble.”

There were even easels set up for townsfolk to try out for themselves. Tobias was chatting with a Cufant in a grey scarf with a steel-plate pattern. I picked up a pallet and brush and got to work.

I must have lost track of time.

“I didn’t know you painted.”

I jumped. Tobias was standing behind the easel. I tried to take the painting down but I fumbled and dropped it. Because the world hates me, apparently, it landed face-up.

Tobias blinked. “Is- Is that me?”

“Nope!” I kicked the painting aside and dragged him away.

“Wait, wait! I want to keep it! That’s an original _A_!”

The star attraction of the gallery was a huge mural, as long and as tall as a Gyarados. Standard size. It depicted three Pokémon; a blue-and-black deer-like Pokémon with four bejewelled yellow antlers, a red-and-black draconian bird, and a green-and-black snake-like Pokémon patterned with hexagons.

“Tobias!” somebody called. A Smeargle climbed down from a ladder leading to the snake-like Pokémon’s head. “Thank you so much for coming! He extended a paw spattered with black paint. “Alex, I assume? Name’s Rhys! Don’t worry, it’s dry!”

We shook. The Smeargle waved someone over.

“Rebecca! Tobias and Alex are here!”

Rebecca came around from the back of the mural. My breath caught in my throat.

Where Rhys’ fur was grey, hers was cream, and it sparkled. Where green paint dripped from his tail, hers was red, and _glittered_.

A Shiny Pokémon.

Tobias coughed. “Still recovering from that head injury, right, Alex?”

I came back to reality. “Yes. I have no idea who I am.”

“That's rough, buddy,” said Rhys.

Rebecca looked me up-and-down. “You sure you should be taking on missions if you’re still recuperating?”

“Our last three missions went really well, actually,” said Tobias.

Plus or minus the almost dying.

“Is today your day off?” asked Rhys. “Oh, I hate to ask this, but if you’re not busy, I’d like to make a request. It isn’t a Mystery Dungeon, but I left some of my art supplies behind when I was sketching in the plains. This mural is supposed to be finished by tomorrow so I don’t have time to go myself or look for another Team. I’d pay you for your time, of course.”

I looked at Tobias; it was his turn to pick the mission after all.

“Sure, why not?” he said. “It’s not like there’s anywhere else we have to be.”

There was a road leading from the town that turned off just past the plains, so it only took us five hours to get there on our stubby little legs. If we’d had a Gogoat on our team, we could have made it in half the time.

“Alex, you can’t just ride your teammate like a cart.”

“Why not?”

“Don’t you think it’s a little demeaning? If you evolve into a Charizard would you want to carry me and your other teammates on your back everywhere we went?”

“Er, no, I guess not.”

“You _can_ hire Pokémon to ride,” he said, "and they’re not expensive, either. But that’s _their_ choice. Personally, I'd find it insulting.”

“Are you ever going to evolve?”

“No,” he said immediately, “never.”

“How come?”

“I like myself how I am.” He didn’t offer any further explanation. “Do you think you will?”

“Honestly, I haven’t really thought about it,” I said. “I’m still wrapping my head around being a Charmander.”

Tobias frowned at that. I didn’t explain myself either. Neither of us asked.

The Radiant Plains was an open-aired, green-grassed stretch of land decorated with evergreen yew trees and the rocky banks of a shallow stream. Bouffalant grazed peacefully in a scattered herd, Swablu and Altaria crossed the sky in a great moving cloud, Girafarig bounced up and and down the fields, Ferroseed and Ferrothorn rested half-buried in the ground. Vivillon with orange wings flew past us. In the stream, small green Pokémon splashed about. Budew. Roselia.

“Alex?”

I jumped. “Huh?”

“You were zoning out. Did you get another headache?”

“I don’t… remember…” I caught the look in his eyes. I forced a laugh. “I guess it’s just nice to visit somewhere peaceful for once!”

Pokémon glanced our way, curious, but unconcerned. A pair of Girafarig skirted around us, and a couple of Budew trailed after us for a few minutes until one of the Roselia called them back.

In the distance, hidden behind one of the yew trees, was a sandstone statue. It was pockmarked and falling apart. Its surface was discoloured with age, its horns were in pieces, its wings were chipped at the undersides, and there was a messy hole where its right eye should have been. But was impossible to mistake what it was.

A Charizard.

“It’s an old statue,” Tobias told me. “Nobody even knows their name.”

A rusted plaque was nailed to the plinth. There were a few flecks of gold where it had once been plated.

S rla i l i

“The Professor told me most believe they were a venerated solider during the war.”

“What war?”

“The first war.”

“… Right, of course.”

The Charizard held a book in one hand and a sword in the other, pointed to the ground. I copied its pose.

“I’d look good as a statue, I think.”

“It would have to be a smaller one.”

“It would, because it would be made out of solid gold.”

The Girafarig raced past us. A few straggler Swablu flew overhead. Across the stream, one of the Roselia was spinning one of the Budew in the air.

A small box lay in the grass a few feet away. Tobias handed me the items bag then picked up the box and fixed the strap around his shoulder.

“How come you’re letting me carry this but not the art stuff?”

“The Items Bag tightens on its own if something or someone tries to remove it by force. It’s just safer to let you carry it.”

“Oh, _thanks_.”

“You’re welcome.”

The Girafarig were sprinting back the other way. They almost ran right into us, but jumped over our heads just in time.

Tobias huffed. “Reckless kids.”

I watched the wild Pokémon for a moment.

“They weren’t running like that before…”

I looked back the other way.

A faint rustling. Louder.

“There’s something in the grass.”

The wild Pokémon raised their heads. The noise stopped. The grass settled.

Tobias took a step back.

Five black Pokémon with giant pointed teeth leapt out at us.

“ _Run!_ ”

We ran. The peaceful plains turned to chaos in an instant. Our pursuers were approaching faster, faster than we could possibly outrun.

“Use the Orb!”

I fumbled around in the bag. We’d bought three more Iron Thorns and two Wonder Orbs. I pulled out the first one I saw.

“No, not that one! The one with the orange sparks! Now throw it on the ground!”

The Wonder Orb hit the floor and shattered. Orange-coloured energy ran through the ground and up our legs. We picked up speed, and now we were just about outrunning them. I risked a look over my shoulder.

Quadrupedal. Back ridges. Forked tails. Curved horns. Houndoom.

We were still too close. We wouldn’t even make it to the hill before they caught us, and there was nowhere we could hide.

They weren’t slowing down. They’d be on us in less than a minute.

“What else do we have?!” I said.

“Look!”

I fumbled with the bag again. I wasn’t watching where I was going. My foot snagged on something and Istumbled, scattering Oran Berries and Iron Thorns all over. I pulled as hard as I could but my foot wouldn’t move. Tobias skidded on the ground, doubled back and pulled me free.

The wild Pokémon were gone. The Houndoom were closing in. Embers flew as they snapped their jaws.

Tobias raised his hand. Brine pushed them back, but only for a moment.

One of them rushed ahead and skidded to a halt in front of us. Water Gun distracted him long enough for me to slip past. He leapt at Tobias but Rapid Spin let him slip under.

Another jumped at Tobias and he Brined him in the mouth. The leader clamped down on my shoulder and shook. Tobias hit him with Water Gun then sprayed two of the others. The last one grabbed his arm. He jabbed him in the forehead with an Iron Thorn.

The leader Bit me on the tail. Tobias Bit him in the neck. The Houndoom bucked, tossing Tobias to the ground. I took out an Iron Thorn and drove it as hard as I could into his cheek. He yelped and pulled away.

Two more jumped on Tobias and he fended them off with Brine. I cut another across the shoulder with Metal Claw. The last one shoved me to the floor. I covered myself with Smokescreen and rolled away.

The Houndoom had forced Tobias into his shell and were pawing at him, snapping at him, chewing on his shell.

I grabbed the largest Houndoom by the horns, vaulted onto his back, and pulled. Tobias came out of his shell and hit him in the mouth with Brine. The Houndoom gagged and spat. The other two grabbed him by the arms.

The leader grabbed me by the tail and tossed me to the floor. I used Smokescreen to hide us; the two holding Tobias didn’t see me coming when I Clawed them across their faces. It gave us just long enough to slip away.

The Houndoom kept up the chase. Tobias ran ahead of me. Then he lagged, so we could run side-by-side.

“You’re faster than I am!” I said. “Why don’t you run?!”

“I’m not leaving you alone!”

I lowered my head and pushed forward. The Houndoom snapped at our heels. I pushed harder. I let the skinniest Houndoom tear a strip of skin off of my tail. Tobias was picking up speed and I grit my teeth and pushed even harder. I wasn’t going to let him be caught because he was protecting me. I was going to keep up with him, no matter what it took.

And then I fell.

The ground came up and smacked me in the face, then disappeared from under me. I landed in a dank, murky tunnel. Tobias jumped down after me. I coughed up dust and soil, he patted me on the back until I could breath again.

The Houndoom were prowling around the hole above our heads, sniffing, growling. It wasn’t far down, they could easily make the jump. But when the burliest Houndoom looked to the leader, he shook his head. They weren’t following us.

“Where are we?” I asked, dusting myself off.

“It must be some kind of nest. It probably belongs to the Ferrothorn. Don’t worry, they’re herbivorous.”

“I know,” I said, “but I thought Ferrothorn lived in caves.”

We made our way down the tunnel.

“A lot of Ferrothorn moved to the plainlands after their natural habitat in the cliffs was destroyed,” he explained.

“Destroyed?”

“Natural disaster. Remember our first mission?”

“Proud to say that I do.”

“That was a tremor. Hart Cave was destroyed by a full-on earthquake.”

“Was it a Mystery Dungeon?”

“Yveltal, I don’t know what could destroy a Mystery Dungeon, but it would have to be something far more than an earthquake. But it was enough to destroy a five-mile long cave system. It’s been happening more and more over the past few months, but I suppose it’s fallen down the wayside these past few weeks, what with everything that’s been going on in the crownlands.”

“What’s going on in the crownlands?”

Tobias exhaled. “A war. That’s what’s going on.”

“Moltres,” I said, “with who?”

“Some lord from the mountains who decided he’d to do a better job of it than the Queen, a handful of lords who agree with him, and a few thousand Pokémon following behind them. I don’t think he’s going to win. But if he _does_ that means a lot of changes for everyone in Itori.”

“Even us?”

“Especially us. We’re a huge organisation, we’re only allowed to operate the way we do because of the Queen’s blessing. This new guy seems like a real control freak. And then there’s Ruby Forest to think about…”

I put my hand to my head. Suddenly we were at a crossroads.

We took a left. It opened up into a small room.

Inside were five small Ekans curled up together in a straw nest. One of them looked they they’d only just emerged from the egg.

“Awww,” I whispered, “look, they’re cuddling!”

Tobias looked like he’d just wandered into the nest of a Legendary Pokémon.

“Don’t,” he hissed, “say, anything.”

“What-”

“Shhh!” He took a deep breath. “Just keep moving. If the parents find us here, they’ll eat us alive.”

“… Super.”

“Or worse, just kill us for the sake of it.”

“Would that be worse? Would that not be the exact same? Is it somehow a more dignified death to be chewed up into bits?”

“ _Shhh!_ ”

The smallest Ekans opened their eyes. They tilted their head, curious. Tobias stood stock-still. I gave them a friendly smile. They smiled back, snuggled into their sister, closed their eyes.

We tip-toed back the way we’d come. Tobias wordlessly guided me down another tunnel.

“As long as we’re whisper-quiet, they won’t be able to hear us. We just need to make sure we’re not…”

“Not what? You can’t just end in the middle of a sentence like _that_!”

He was looking over my shoulder. At my tail. “As long as we're not seen.”

So we abandoned the idea of stealth and returned to the time-honoured tradition of running for our lives. We took a left at the next crossroads, straight ahead at another. And another. And another.

“I feel like I've seen that pile of mud before,” I said.

Tobias looked back. His face dropped.

“Alex,” he said, “the ground.”

I glanced down. The earth wasn’t even. We were leaving footprints.

We went straight, straight again, turned right. A wide-eyed Arbok sat two feet away from us.

We decided to take the left tunnel. The Arbok hissed and chased us down. At the other end her mate appeared. Mother and father.

The male used Crunch. I blocked with my Claws. The female fired an Acid attack; Tobias covered his face with his hands. I trapped the male in Fire Spin. Simmering heat filled the tunnels.

Tobias fired Brine, washing the acid away. The female took the hit, retaliated with Glare, paralysing him.

I shoved him aside and scratched at her with Metal Claw. Tobias’ paralysis broke.

“Look out!”

The male bit my in the shoulder. My body turned purple as poison entered my bloodstream. I aimed Fire Spin at my feet and the flames surrounded us.

Tobias hit the female in the eyes with Water Gun. He Bit the male on the tail, the female hit me with Poison Sting, the male tossed Tobias down the hallway then wrapped his whole body around my torso, arms, and neck. The female slithered past to deal with my partner.

“Alex!” he called. “Please! Let him go! It’s not his fault! _Alex!_ ”

The female blinded him with Mud Bomb. The male squeezed tighter. I couldn’t move, I could hardly even see. The Arbok was pressing on my neck-

The red badge glowed. The Arbok’s eyes went wide. I took my chance. I breathed in deep, ready to summoned a Fire Spin. But instead of a tornado come a red-and-yellow stream of flame. The Arbok hissed and pulled away.

I struggled free and drove my Claw into his hood.

Tobias picked himself up but the female’s tail whacked him around the head.

I looked in the bag. No damage items. So I hit her in the face with it.

They were both badly hurt. Still, they kept fighting. They both leapt at me at once. The male grabbed me by the arm, the female by the tail.

The glow grew brighter. The Arbok hissed, and pulled away.

I unpinned it, held it out. “Is this what you’re afraid of?! Huh?!”

They hissed again.

“Good! Because if you take another step, I’ll use it! I will!”

Tobias stepped over the Arbok’s tail. “Walk backwards. _Slowly_.”

I kept the badge in the air. The Cobra Pokémon kept their eyes on us until we were out of sight. We heard them slither away, then take a left turn.

I ran my hands down my face. “Oh Moltres. Ohhh I was not in control of that situation at all.”

“Thank Zygarde they didn't call your bluff.”

_Tunk._

The art bag fell to the floor. Burned, ripped, destroyed. Empty.

“We failed…” I said.

Tobias sighed. “You’re alive. That’s what’s important.”

“ _We’re_ alive,” I corrected, “you’re important too.”

He chuckled. “Yeah. Sure.”

“Xerneas save you!” Rhys exclaimed. “I am so sorry, I had no idea!”

“No, I’m the one who should apologise,” said Tobias, “we dropped your supplies running from the Houndoom. We failed.”

“Forget about the brushes! I fell terrible to have put you in that situation! Does it hurt? You should lie down, you look rough. Oh, Gods, did they burn you?”

“No, no, they didn’t burn us,” said Tobias. “Alex can’t even _be_ burned!”

“He can be poisoned though…” I muttered.

Rhys’ eyes widened.

“You were poisoned?!”

I showed him the mark on the back of my shoulder. “Yeah. We managed to escape the Houndoom by hiding in an Arbok’s nest. Not our best moment. But on the bright side, it was not our worst.”

Rhys blinked. “Arbok? Did you say an Arbok poisoned you?”

“Is that bad?”

“No, no- well it isn’t pleasant, but… Arbok poison actually makes _fantastic_ paint! Oh, I hate to ask, but… when you go to have it, er, extracted, would you mind if I held on to it? I’ll pay you for it, of course!” He reached into his bag and pulled out the reward: P500 and a Reviver Seed.

I shrugged. “Ow. Yeah, of course, have at it.” I winced. “We’re gonna have to go through with it now, thought, before I-”

Throw up on the ground. Rhys cringed, but forced a smile.

Tobias dropped by later with the vail of vile purple goop and collected the money. When he arrived home he was grinning like a Gengar. I put my face in my hands. He’d taken the damn painting.


	5. Bonds

Chapter Five: Bonds

_“Physical wounds can be treated without much difficulty, but emotional wounds are not so easy to heal.” - N_

I woke up with the canvas flat on top of me.

“Oops!” Tobias picked it up and replaced it on its hook. “We’re going to need a proper frame for you.”

“We can’t afford a herb pot but sure, let’s buy that abomination some protective gear.”

“This thing’s one-of-a-kind!”

“You know that only means something if the artist is dead, right?”

“I’m prepared to wait. It just takes one wrong step up on those high, high cliffs overlooking the ocean.”

“You could just douse my tail, that’d kill me.”

“No, no, you need to make it look like an accident.”

“Ah, of course.”

I got to my feet and stretched. That’s when I saw my bed halfway across the room. Tobias’ was just a lump of straw on the ground. There was dust and gravel everywhere.

“What happened to our home?!” I asked.

“Our…” he trailed off. He shook his head. “There was another tremor. You slept through it.”

“I did?!”

“You see now why I was so worried when I couldn’t wake you up last week.”

“Is the tide in?”

“There’s enough beach left to make it to the stairs." He took me to the outside. Sacks of sand had been stacked up beside the door.

“In case there’s a flood. This’ll keep you safe. When the tide came in I realised that if our place got flooded, you could get seriously hurt.”

I frowned. “You're right. I wonder why I didn't think of that.”

Tobias chuckled. “Sometimes, Alex, you’d think you’d forgotten you were a Pokémon.”

Outside, the Pelipper soared over our heads, messenger bags strapped to their sides. A Wingull clutching a single letter in her talons followed close behind. Karas _caw_ ed a greeting to us as she made her rounds. While Tobias shot down some Oran Berries from the cliff-face for breakfast, I opened the letterbox and sorted through the Monday Mail. Daily Bulletin. Issue #25 of Furfou’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Trim is Unsheerable. Nerd.

Shieldon Jump. Treasure Trove, tagline: Itori’s Weekly Discoveries Magazine. Explorers Monthly. A letter form Team Rumbledown.

Mission complete. Ekans all alive, fed, but more than happy to feed themselves on  us . Please have the P250 and four Oran Berries read for us at the meet-up spot at Sol.h today.

Peace out,

Rocko,

Team Rumbledown

Tobias leapt and caught a bruised Berry just before it hit the ground. The two he was holding were squashed upon impact.

“Yveltal damn it!”

“Want some help?”

“I’ve got it, I’ve got it!”

Another letter. This one had a small pink star stamped in the upper-left corner.

“We’re popular today,” I said.

“Are you opening the mail? Hang on, let me see those!”

“I know you read manga, you filthy weeb.” I handed him Rocko’s letter. He read it over and gave a sig of relief.

I turned the envelope over in my hand. One the other side was a golden wax seal decorated with water ripples around a lily pad.

“Fancy.”

I broke it open and looked inside. I squinted.

“Tobias, is there another Team Goldenrod?”

I showed him the letter. He dropped the Berries.

“This,” he checked both sides, “this, this is…”

“It can’t be for us.”

“It is! It is for us!” He put a hand to his head. “I think I’m about to throw up. I mean, we-” he looked at me, “do they,” back at the letter, “do they think we’re someone else? Team… Silverrod?”

“Is there a Team Silverrod?”

“I don’t know!” he cried. Then he stopped himself, exhaled. “We just need to take this to the Professor. He’ll sort this out. Are you still hungry?”

I looked down at the sand-dusted Berries. “Could we stop at Tonio’s?”

“Yeah. Okay, yeah, we’ll take this to the Professor, then we’ll stop at Tonio’s. Okay. Good. A plan. Tonio’s.”

He folded up the letter, delicately placed it in the Items Bag, pulled the strap over his head.

“I thought I was carrying the bag…” I said.

“You want to carry the bag?”

“Yeah!”

“All yours.”

I took the bag, fastened the strap.

“You look happy.”

I smiled. “I’m a Treasure Hunter!”

His expression changed to something I can’t quite read. “You really want to stay, huh?”

“If I wasn’t about to leave after almost being eaten alive twice in a row, I’m not about to pack up and leave now. Don’t look so surprised! I’m having fun.”

Tobias face turned sea-blue. “We’d better get moving. We’ll give this to the Professor so he can give it to the _real_ Team. Better not keep his lordship waiting.”

Emerald Town was chaos. Pokémon thronged the streets; we had to squeeze between the larger Pokémon and hop over their tails just to get to the Academy. It’s probably lucky we’re two feet tall.

Waiting at the Academy entrance was Ross the Ampharos; in charge of mapping Itori and keeping the maps up-to-date, Tobias told me; it was unusual to see him at home. But today was a was a special occasion.

“Ross!” my partner called.

“I’m afraid I can’t help you right now, Tobias” he said, “I’m waiting for Khan.”

“Who’s Khan?” I asked.

“The _Professor_ ,” he said. “I’m afraid most of the Academy staff won’t be available for the next couple of days barring an emergency. You read the Daily Bulletin, right?”

“We didn’t get round to it,” said Tobias.

Tobias handed him the letter. Ross stared at it.

“Is this a joke?”

“Probably,” Tobias said, “somebody left it in our letterbox.”

“Who? When?”

“We didn’t see,” I answered. “That would be the function of a letterbox.”

Ross rubbed his forehead. “Wait here.”

He pushed through the Pokémon coming out of the Academy. A few moments later Professor Buckeye emerged with his staff. Matty the Loudred and Gloria the Glameow walked just ahead of him. Ross and Mach the Breloom were by his side, while Tina the Snorlax and Elexi the Gardevoir followed behind.

“Tobias,” said the Garchomp.

Tobias snapped to attention.

“Come walk with me.”

Ross stepped aside to let Tobias in. My partner swallowed, held his head up straight, and almost tripped not the first step.

“You too, Alex.”

I shuffled around, unsure of where to stand. Two big hands grabbed me by the waist.

“Up you go!” said Tina. “There, you can ride on my shoulder. Hold on tight!”

I gave Tobias a smug smile. He was too focused on not tripping again to notice.

The crowd parted before us. The fountain in the time square was full of fish Pokémon taking advantage of the environment to get a closer look. A crafty Metapod had stuck himself to the tier. Three Pokémon-drawn carriages were lined up on the other side.

On our left was a pale-blue carriage with pale-pink silken sheets and Milotic painted on the wheels. It was pulled by a Rapidash duo dressed in matching harnesses. Out stepped a Swampert, holding a squirming Mudkip in one arm, a disinterested Marshtomp, and another Mudkip, a little older, eyes wide with wonder.

On the right was a gold-painted carriage with opaque black curtains and wheels painted with Cofagrigus, pulled by two Zebstrika, again dressed to match. Out came three Pokémon in studded leather armour, all brown: Houndoom, Armaldo, and Garbodor. A Smooth Muk followed, though he wasn’t wearing anything. Not sure what you’d dress a Muk in anyway.

The middle carriage was the largest. It was _huge_. It was gold-and-red, with geometrically-patterned ridges and murals of Pokémon along the side. My eyes were drawn to the Moltres on the wheels. Four burly Gogoat pulled it along.

A Blaziken followed a Drapion down the steps, both armoured. The former had orange feathers where others had yellow, a pale-pink crest instead of beige. He extended a hand for the Pokémon inside. Another Marshtomp, slightly shorter, but with a straighter back and a higher chin. He wore a brown crest with a sigil sown in gold; a lily pad, surrounded by ripples.

Tina placed me on the ground beside her.

The Marshtomp cantered around the fountain, a huge smile plastered on his face. The Lord and the Professor clasped hands, or claws, fins, whatever you like. Then the Marshtomp lifted up on his toes and gave him a hug.

“It’s good to see you again, my lord,” Khan said.

“You know you don’t have to call me that!” He greeted the six other Pokémon, extended a hand to Tobias. “I don’t believe we’ve met! Lord Michael Finley. Friends call me Mickey.”

“This is Tobias,” said the Professor, “one of my most dedicated students. He’s the leader of Team Goldenrod.”

“Oh, wonderful! Thank you so much for accepting my request, Tobias. Please take care of us!”

The chatter died down, picked up just as suddenly. Tobias swallowed, bowed as deep as he could, which wasn’t far, thanks to his shell. All eyes were on him.

“I’m Alex,” I said.

“I, um,” Tobias coughed, “I understand your destination is Mt. Burgeon. That’s a pretty dangerous place for… folks.”

“Not to worry!” said Mickey. “My guards will be with us the whole time!”

At a subtle nod from the Professor, Academy Pokémon set about breaking up the crowd. If anything, that made them all the more eager. Some off them had to be lifted into the air with Psychic. Now didn’t seem like a good time to be hiding away from the public eye, but he must have seen the mortification on the top half of Tobias’ face.

“And… you want us to escort you?” he asked.

“Correct!”

“May I ask why?” Extra formal, nice touch.

“My guards may be incredibly efficient Pokémon, more than capable of completing this trek by themselves,” he looked over his shoulder at this guards, “but in order to enter Mt. Burgeon’s Inner Cavern, we require the use of a Treasure Hunter Badge.”

“You do?” I blurted out.

“Of course! They work much like skeleton keys, don’t they? They can unlock any door, break any seal! That’s how your Professor advertised it to me.”

Khan rubbed the back of his neck. “I wouldn’t exactly call it “advertising”, but yes, they do have that power, to varying degrees. Tobias should be able to open the door, but, you’re saying Alister is trapped _inside_?”

“It’s a frightful story. I must tell you at dinner tonight. But at the risk of being crass, I’m loath to stay here any longer. Poor Alister has been waiting for almost a day! We’ll be taking the guard carriage, please prepare to leave as soon as possible.”

He gave the crowd a jovial wave even as the Academy Staff were wrestling them away, and hopped into the back of the gold-and-black carriage. The six guardsmon followed.

Mach leaned in to the Professor’s ear. “Are you sure about this? The Inner Cave isn’t a place for Normal-Rank Pokémon. This is really… _unusual_.”

“They’ll have guards with them,” said Gloria.

“THAT BLAZIKEN WAS NO SPRING CHICKEN EITHER,” Matty added as quietly as he could manage.

“In that case,” said Ross, “doesn’t P10,000 seem a very hefty price for such a short mission?”

“We can hear you!” I said. Tobias’ eyes were fixed on the ground. The Professor’s entourage looked shocked to even hear me speak. “I can tell you all think really highly of us, but you could at least have the guts to tell that to _us_ instead of _him_. How do you expect us to get stronger if you treat us like we’re not capable of doing anything more than we’ve already done? Whatever’s waiting for us on that mountain I guarantee we’ve seen worse. We’re Treasure Hunters too!”

Tobias cringed. The Professor looked from his staff to his students, conflicted.

The Gardevoir stood between us and the them. “Please, let’s not fight,” she said softly, “it’s not becoming of members of the Academy. And let me remind you that Alex and Tobias are members of the Academy. The risk will be minimal with Mickey’s guards around, and you’ve said yourself that they’re quiet capable, Khan.”

Tobias turned sea-blue.

“Besides, this is a request from the Lord Finely. We have no right to turn him down.”

“Elexi’s right!” said Tina. “What we think doesn’t matter, what matters is these boys have a mission, and their client is waiting for them!”

She picked us up, put us on her shoulders.

“Let’s get you stocked up!” She addressed the crowd: “Make way! Make way! Snorlax coming throooooooough!”

“Tina,” Tobias whispered, “we don’t have any money for supplies.”

“I’ll spot you. Or Lord Finley might, he’ll probably have enough to stock the whole Academy. He should, actually; he’s our biggest donor.”

We sat wedged in between Fortis the Blaziken and A.J. the Drapion for the better part of three hours. The Ogre Scorpion Pokémon’s spikes kept jabbing Tobias in the side of the head, while the blade at the Blaze Pokémon’s belt kept nicking the items bag.

“Why don’t you just move it?” Tobias hissed.

“Because I’d rather it be poking the bag than poking _me_!” I whispered.

Mickey sat back and relaxed. He was squashed between Bodhi the Garbodor and Raj the Houndoom, but looked as comfy as could be. The curtains were drawn, and all we could hear through the thick wooden walls were the sounds of clopping hooves.

An hour and a half of stifled conversation later, Tobias finally cleared his throat and asked the question that had been torturing us both:

“May I ask you something, my- Mickey…?” Our client didn’t want us referring to him by his title.

“Go for it!”

“Why us?”

He looked genuinely surprised. “What ever do you mean?”

“We’re not exactly… the strongest Team out there. We’re not the most experienced, either. I mean, we’re _Normal-Rank_.”

“Is that bad?”

“It’s the second to the bottom, out of ten.”

“I did mention this,” said Fortis.

“Alister recommended them for a reason,” said the Marshtomp. “He wouldn’t have put his life in the hands of Pokémon he didn’t trust.”

Tobias frowned. “Your friend recommended us?”

“I must clarify, he is one of my guards, but he is also a very dear friend of mine. He said you completed a mission for him a few months back.”

I looked at my partner. I must not have read his expression correctly.

“I wasn't even here a few months back!” I said. “It must have just been Tobias!”

A.J. was looking right at me, a kind of satisfied smile on his face.

“What?”

He just chuckled.

“There you have it,” Mickey said, as if my comment was all the proof he needed.

“What was the mission?” said Fortis. “Who was the client? The location? These are things you need to be informed of before you make these decisions, sir.”

“You are being rude to our guests.”

“I just want Alister to be brought home safe. And I don’t want anything to _happen_ to our _guests_.”

“Don’t worry,” said A.J., “ _we’ll_ make sure nothing goes wrong.”

Mt. Burgeon was a jagged, dark-grey mountain overgrown with plantlife. The main path snaked around and through the gaps in between huge, sharp lancets of stone. Thick woodlands hemmed us in on all sides. Cutiefly and Ribombee gave the woods a faint yellow glow. Pink-winged Vivillon rustled the leaves in the green hickory trees.

Mickey untied the Zebstrika, who both gave a very small, very dignified stretch.

“Who's staying with the cart?” Tobias asked.

“These guys,” Mickey gestured to the carriers, who stomped at the ground in unison, sending sparks flying.

“This can be a pretty wild place, don’t you think the carriage is a little… conspicuous?”

“Zachary and Zephyr are most than capable of handling the responsibility.”

“Their names are- never mind, but are you sure you don’t want to leave one of the guards behind?”

“You’re the one who wouldn’t let up about how inexperienced you are,” Fortis said, “now you can’t wait to get rid of us?”

“That’s not what he meant,” I said, irritated.

The guardsmon had already started up the path. Bodhi waved Mickey in so he was standing in the middle. Tobias and I jogged to catch up with them.

The Inner Cavern was on the fifth floor of Mt. Burgeon. The path constantly changed, as with any Mystery Dungeon, so we had no idea how many enemies we would encounter, or how organised their attacks would be. We didn't know well we would battle with the guards. We didn't know if Mickey could battle at all. We had no real scope of the danger we were walking into. But nothing could have prepared us for…

Nothing. There was no one. The trees and the bushes were still. The grass was unruffled, fruit trees and Berry bushes entirely undisturbed. Even the smell of blood when Tobias cut his foot on a rock went unnoticed. We’d reached the staircase on the third floor, forty-five minutes into a mission that should have taken at least twice that time so far, when Fortis stopped us.

“This isn’t right,” he said.

“We should have been hit by at least a dozen wildlings by now,” said the Dustin.

“There’s nobody here,” said Raj, craning his head around. “There’s _nothing_!”

“Could something have driven them away?” said Tobias.

“We should send two Pokémon out to scout the area,” said Barns, the Armaldo, “I don’t want to take Mickey any further into territory we don’t understand.”

“It’s bizarre” said Bodhi, “nothing else seems any different.”

“Despite the fact that it’s been turned into a graveyard in the space of twenty-four hours?” said Raj.

“You think something’s been driving them away?” said Dustin.

“Are you kidding me?!” I snapped. They finally looked at us. “Tobias just said that exact same thing! You aren’t listening to us at all!”

“Do you happen to have any bright ideas, Charmander?” said Fortis. “Because until then, we don’t have any cause to listen to you.”

“Please, friends, don’t fight,” said Mickey. “It’s unbecoming of you all.”

Reluctantly, the guards kept their mouths shut. Raj and Barns agreed to scout the area out the third floor. Then we had to sit and wait. With the guards. In silence.

The rest of the them paced a circle around us. It looked like they had their steps carefully memorised, but unfortunately, they were missing two members. If only there had been that exact number of Pokémon present to fill the gaps. Pity.

Tobias and I picked at the ground.

“Have you ever made a grass whistle?” he asked.

“I haven’t.”

He put a blade to his mouth and blew. Spit and air came out.

“Have _you_ ever made a grass whistle?” I asked.

“… No.”

“How long has it been?” Mickey asked, leaning back against the rock.

“Five minutes, sir,” said Fortis, “two minutes since the last time you asked.”

Mickey wrung his hands.

“I hope he’s okay. He must know we’re coming, right? Of course he does. Of course he does! We’re friends! Friends don’t abandon one another! Oh, Celebi.” He put his head in his hands, “I can’t believe I lost him.”

Bodhi sat beside him and put his hand on his back. “It wasn’t your fault,” he said gently, “it wasn’t _anyone’s_ fault, it was a freak accident.”

“That’s not true,” said Fortis. “It was our responsibility as guardsmon to prevent anything like this from happening. That was our job, not yours.”

“Have faith in him,” said Dustin. “He’s one of the toughest Pokémon I know, he will be okay.”

“You can’t know that!” He got to his feet. He clutched the fin on the top of his head. “What’s wrong with this place? Where is everyone? What _happened_ to the Pokémon here?”

“Sir-” Fortis began.

“I’m not ready for his. I told them all I wasn’t ready for this. I can’t even take care of _one_ Pokémon. One Pokémon!”

The guardsmon look to one another. They were at a loss for words.

Tobias kicked a stone over. “One of my first missions as a Solo Hunter was a rescue mission on Echo Coast. An easy mission. A _part-water-type_ Dungeon. I was at the last floor when I came to a room and, I don’t know, fifteen wild Pokémon, all dropped from the ceiling all at once. I think I knocked three of them out. The next thing I knew Dana from Team Supersonic was fanning me awake in a hospital bed. They'd found the client themselves. She was okay, but, she’d been trapped down there for so long. Waiting for me. It took a long time for me to stop beating myself up about it. I wondered for ages and ages… if I was just destined to fail at this.”

Mickey took a deep breath. “I know you’re trying to comfort me, but I’m afraid it’s not the same. Being a Lord is not a mission, or a career, it’s a _life_. The pressure, the Pokémon depending on me, the _person_ I have to live up to.”

“Do you want my advice?” said the Squirtle. “As a friend?”

Mickey nodded.

“Don’t ever compare yourself to someone who’s gone. Because you’re never going to win.”

Raj and Barns returned.

“No trace,” said the Houndoom. “Not so much as an errant Pin Missile.”

“Everything’s in it’s place,” said the Armaldo, “everything is in the _exact_ same place it was yesterday, except for the fact that it’s completely devoid of all life.”

“All _sentient_ life,” A.J. corrected.

“That’s helpful.”

“Life or no life, we must press on,” said Mickey. He offered us each a hand and helped us to our feet. He puffed out his chest a little. “For whatever it might be worth… I’m glad I selected you for this mission. You were not “destined” to fail at this. I hope you don’t still believe that.”

“Thank you, Lord Finley,” said Tobias.

“My father was Lord Finley,” said the Marshtomp. “You can just call me Mickey.”

We climbed the fifth staircase and came to a wide, flat platform, surrounded by jagged stone and sheer cliff on all sides. In one corner between two points was a large grey statue of a Pokémon with a blooming flower on its back. There was a plaque carved in silver beneath it, but it was scratched away beyond any legibility.

“A Venusaur,” I said.

“I know this one,” Tobias said, “she’s in a book about Itori’s legends in the Academy’s library.”

“Was it a book or was it a manga?” I asked.

“She was a sorceress from over a hundred years ago,” Tobias continued, pointedly ignoring me. ““Two warring Legendary Pokémon met in the woodlands, battling for days and days and days without stopping. They caused so much destruction that the whole habitat was turned to stone. So the sorceress channelled the power of the Legendary Celebi to travel back to when the two warring Pokémon were about to begin and showed them a vision of their actions destroying the land below them. They both left without a word. No lives lost. She didn’t even need to fight.” A small smile. “If only real life was that simple, right?”

My eyes lingered on the statue for a moment. I tried again to read the plaque. Illegible.

The door to Mt. Burgeon’s Inner Cavern was brown rock, old and cracked, carved with intricate swirling patterns. Tobias held up the Badge. A glowing star two-feet tall appeared and golden light ran through the patterns on the door, then flashed twice. _Click_. Tobias took a few steps back.

“All yours,” he said. The guards grumbled as they lined up to push.

It was a struggle, even for them. Stone scraped on stone, and bits of debris kept jamming the doors. Dustin squeezed through the small crack to clear the floor.

“Sir,” Fortis said, “would you mind using your Muddy Water to clear the poison away? It would be dangerous to step in Dustin’s tracks.”

Mickey’s eyes lit up. “Yes, yes of course! Stand back, gentlemon!”

After an over-enthusiastic Muddy Water had cleared the way, the guardsmon resumed pushing, consistently slipping in the mud and getting their nice clean armour soaked. Tobias and I shared an Apple while we watched.

Aside from the grunts of the guardsmon and the scraping of the stone, the mountain was deathly quiet. It was eery. The wind rustled the trees and the grass and whistled in my ears. I shivered. Tobias met my eye, and told me without words that he felt the same.

Finally, the door was wide enough for us all to squeeze through. I stepped in Raj’s footprints in an attempt to stay away from the water, and managed to stay dry enough. Until he shook the mud from his fur and splattered it on all of us.

Fortis grasped the top of one of the torches on the wall; his hand caught fire and it lit the room. It was mostly pink dust; fairy dust, to be exact. Rocks, cracked tiles, faded patterns-

And a shape in the corner. Moving.

“Hello?” a voice croaked.

Mickey gasped. “ _Alister!_ ”

He sprinted past Dustin and A.J. but Raj leapt in front of him.

“Easy, pal,” he said softly.

“He’s right there”! Mickey said, trying to push through.

“We just need to make sure he’s not the only one.” Fortis grabbed another torch and tossed it into the room. Alister the Cacturne sat slumped on the floor, with thick binds of rope holding his arms behind his back.

“Anything?” I whispered to Tobias.

“I… Maybe? I’m not sure.”

“Guys?” the Cacturne rasped. “Mickey, is that you?”

“Are you alone?” Bodhi called. “Is there anyone else on this floor?”

“Yes, I’m alone.” Alister coughed. “Please, help me. I’m hurt!”

Mickey pushed past his guard. Fortis tried to grab him but he was too slippery.

“Out friend is in need of us!” he said sharply. “Stand down, Fortis, that is an order!”

Fortis ground his beak, and the fires running along his wrists flared. Mickey ran to Alister’s side. The guards took off after him, weapons raised. A.J. stayed with us, glowing six different colours as Acupressure raised his stats.

“Stay close,” he said.

“Careful,” said the Cacturne as his friend approached, “no hugs, remember!”

The guards formed a semi-circle around Mickey, who knelt down beside him. “Oh gods oh gods oh gods I’m so glad you’re okay! I was damn near out of my-”

He paused.

The guardsmon tensed.

“Alister?”

The Cacturne tilted his head. “Yes?”

“Why aren’t your bonds tied?”

“ _Now!!_ ”

The stone walls broke apart. An Empoleon’s Drill Peck jabbed Fortis in the back. A Fraxure’s Double Chop struck Barns’ collarbone. A Pangoro’s Arm Thrust smacked Bodhi in the face.

A Litten Shadow Clawed Dustin in the face. A Dewott’s Razor Shell cut Raj across his side. I summoned my Claws, Tobias readied a Brine attack. But before we could land on a target, something clamped shut around our arms and waists. Two huge, glowing claws.

“Alister!” Mickey cried. “What’s going-”

Energy Ball burst against his stomach. He lay coughing on the ground.

Tobias ducked into his shell. A.J. tossed him across the room. I tried to claw my way free, and he slammed me into the tiles.

My vision was shaky, but for a brief moment I was facing the fight. All at the same time the Empoleon’s Steel Wings knocked Fortis’ swords aside; he rolled and landed a Blaze Kick to her back, but she didn’t go down. Barns’ Crush Claw bounced off of the Fraxure’s Dragon Claw. The Pangoro caught Bodhi’s Poison Jab in the palm of a gloved hand and Drain Punched him with the other.

Dustin grabbed and struck out at thin air; the Litten danced around him, dodging every attack. Roar hurled the Muk into the wall, and Flamethrower kept him pinned. The Dewott used his scallops to block Raj’s Dark Pulse and retaliated with Aqua Jet, first darting around him and then slamming into his side.

There were tears in Mickey’s eyes. He forced himself up onto one shoulder.

“Alister, _please_!”

The Cacturne stood over him, the spikes on his arm glowing.

“Move one more inch and you’re dead, do you hear me? Hm?” He spoke calmly. Far too calmly for someone betraying a dear friend.

Mickey’s lower lip quivered. Alister forced him into the corner and stood in front of him protectively. Mickey tried to slip away. Pin Missile hit him in the face.

I used Fire Spin to burn A.J.’s arms and pulled free. Rapid Spin hit him in the side of the head. The Drapion flinched and I slid underneath him. Tobias Bit down on his neck. A.J. grabbed him by the tail and yanked him away, digging his claws into his skin.

I stabbed him in the back with Metal Claw; he used his tail to slam me into the ground. He. tossed Tobias as far as he could throw him.

Fortis’ Fire Punch+Blaze Kick strategy was forcing the Empoleon back. She didn’t falter but she didn’t retaliate either. Fortis kicked her across the face, she slipped, but still didn’t fall. His fists flowed white.

A.J.'s arm shot out; I dodged just in time, his claws broke the tiles. I blocked Cross Poison with my Metal Claws. Some of the poison dripped into my eye and when I hissed and cringed away the Drapion took the chance to grab me by the neck.

The Empoleon’s head turned. Fortis’ Fire Punch hit her between the eyes.

Barns landed an X-Scissor attack. The Fraxure retaliated with Giga Impact, slamming him into the wall and cracking the tiles across his back. Bodhi’s Body Slam forced the Pangoro into a corner. Then her cap glowed pink and she slammed her head into his. Zen Headbutt.

The Litten dodged Dustin’s Mud Bomb but was hit by then splashback. He shook his fur to get rid of it and in that moment Dustin’s huge hands closed shut on him. Then the Muk cried out and recoiled, and the Litten rammed his whole body into him, sending sparks and embers flying. Flare Blitz.

The Dewott’s fists glowed red-and-white. He made to strike Raj, but the Houndoom bit down on his wrist; the Dewott’s colours transferred to him, and he tossed him to the ground. Foul Play.

Mickey used Muddy Water. The Cacturne grunted, wiped some of the muck away. His raised his Needle Arm and slammed it over the Marshtomp’s head. Mickey clutched himself, curled up into a ball.

“Pathetic,” Alister spat.

Sky Uppercut drove up under the Empoleon’s chin. She raised her wings to block another one.

“All right,” she said, “enough to enough.”

She summoned a Whirlpool. Fortis tried to pull away but was sucked into a torrent of water.

A.J. pinned me to the ground, place a foot on the back of my neck. I was gasping for air, clawing at the tiles. He placed another foot on my tail. Then I heard the sound of metal on natural armor. The Drapion cried out and put his claws to his head.

“What the hell, Harriet?!”

Hydro Cannon hit him in the face.

I sat up and rubbed me neck. Harriet helped me to my feet.

“What are you waiting for?!” she said. “He’s open! Use the Badge!”

“This?” I held up my Treasure Hunter’s Badge.

“Don’t screw with me right now! Use the _Booster Badge_!”

A.J. hit her in the side with Brutal Swing. I breathed in deep to summon a fire-type attack, aiming only a few feet away from her.

“ _Don’t!_ ” she snapped.

Fortis broke free from the Whirlpool. He looked from us to Alister and Mickey.

“Get him out of here!” Harriet called. “Get him away from Alister!”

Fortis ran towards the Cacturne, fists burning. A.J. stopped my Metal Claw with another Brutal Swing. Tobias’ Brine hit him in the head, Harriet drove her Wing into his side.

Alister Sucker Punched Fortis. The Blaziken didn't flinch; he Blaze Kicked him in the hip, pushed past him, and picked Mickey up off the ground.

“Alex, now!” Harriet called.

“Now what?!”

“Stop fucking around! He’s open!”

Alister got to his feet.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

Alister raised his arms.

“ _Attack!_ ”

The red badge glowed bright enough to light up the room. Harriet grabbed A.J. by the arms and tossed him into the centre of the room. I breathed in deep, and Flamethrower became something for more powerful.

A swirling dome of fire filled the cavern. The guardsmon jumped out of the way, the ambushers scurried for cover they wouldn’t find. The sound alone was enough to make me wince, and the heat made Tobias and Harriet cry out. Tiles cracked and debris flew and fairy dust scattered. Fortis held Mickey close with his back to the blaze. Alister covered his face. Useless.

“ _Alister!!_ ”

The flames died. The Cacturne collapsed to the floor.

Fortis let Mickey go. His brown coat had a thick black stain across its back. The ambushers and the guardsmon were gasping for breath.

Mickey’s first instinct was to run to his friend’s side, but of course, there was no friend there to run to. He pulled up short. He wiped the tears from his face, but more kept coming.

“Alister,” he said, “why, _why_ would you _do_ something like this?”

Alister pushed himself up onto one knee, looked his lord in the eye. “By Lugia I am glad I’ll never have to see that face again.”

He fired Energy Ball at the floor. But in the moment it took him to charge, Mickey had already closed the distance between them. Take Down hit him in the side and they rolled across the floor together. Mickey’s skin was pricked all over. Still he held the Cacturne down. A tear fell onto green skin.

“You’re going to see my face again when I put you behind bars, traitor!” It was shouted like a threat, but it came out as a sob.


	6. What's In A Name?

_“The road will reveal itself.” - Camper, Ruby and Sapphire_

Lord Finley didn’t cry as Sargent Nova, the Lucario leader of the Clifflands Police Force, loaded Alister into the prison cart. Officers Reaper the Krokorok and Drought the Rhyhorn stood by the doors, watching closely as their boss hoisted the prisoners up one-by-one. Mickeys watched A.J. slip as he climbed into the cart; Nova’s Aura Sphere had damaged his leg when he’d tried making a run for it. Besides, it was hard to walk with arms and legs tied by the sergeant's handcuffs. Thank Moltres for the Pelipper; we’d sent a message to the station some five miles away, and the police had shown up four hours later. But there were only three officers on the Cliffland force, and we all had to join the effort to get the prisoners safely from the closed-off cavern to the waiting carriages.

The Marshtomp’s face didn’t change, even when A.J. met his eye. He watched until the officers climbed in next to them. It was a long, silent ride back to the Academy. Mickey had jumped down from the carriage's high floor without assistance, then he walked up the stairs with his guardsmon forming a barrier on either side. Professor Buckeye had a private room in the hospital waiting for them.

The Professor had insisted we stay the night in the hospital to recover. I’m not sure how much he’d already heard, but everyone knew that something serious had happened, and they knew Tobias and I had been at the centre of it. When I got up in the middle of the night for second dinner, or as the nocturnal Pokémon call it, breakfast, I saw Mach had been placed outside the dorms. He gave me a respectful nod as I passed.

We went to visit Mickey the next morning. Elexi had been placed as a guard outside his door. She looked less than pleased about it, but still offered a smile as we approached.

“How is he?” I asked.

The Gardevoir sighed. “I don’t know. He hasn’t come out since yesterday, and I couldn’t get a thing out of the guards. Do you want to see him? You two are sweet.” She knocked on the door, leaned in, dropped her voice to a whisper: “My lord, Team Goldenrod are here to see you.”

Mumbling from the other side of the door. Elexi waved us in.

Mickey was enthroned in a castle of cushions and blankets. His guards sat cross-legged on the floor. Everyone had shed their armour, except for Fortis, who still wore the fire-stained jacket and kept his swords sheathed at his hips.  A string instrument lay at Raj’s feet.

Mickey sat up straight. “Tobias, Alex. It’s good to see you.”

“If this is about the reward,” said Fortis, “one of the Academy Pokémon is keeping it for you.”

“No, no no,” said Tobias, “it’s not about that.”

“We’re just here to see you,” I said to Mickey.

We sat beside him. He didn’t look up.

“I’d ask you how you’re feeling,” Tobias said, “but I don’t think you want to hear that for the hundredth time today. You were brilliant back there, you know. You predicted his movements better than any of us.”

“It’s true!” said Dustin.

“You were a real trooper,” said Barns.

“Befitting of a lord,” said Fortis.

Mickey nodded without looking up from some indistinct spot on the ground.

“For what it’s worth,” Tobias went on, “I do know what you’re going through. I won’t bore you with the details, but I know how this kind of betrayal stings.”

“You know what else stings? Being beaten over the head with a Needle Arm. That stings.”

Tobias remained patient. “My point is that I know how painful it is. I feels like you’ve a part of yourself.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Well, you have.”

Mickey turned his head.

“But it’s a part you don’t need anymore. It’s a part that was built on a lie. And eventually won’t feel empty because that part,  that piece of your soul…  another part will take it. And then you won’t need it anymore.”

Mickey wrapped the blankets closer around him.

“You can stay a little longer,” he said, “if you want. If you don’t have a mission, or anything…”

Tobias shook his head. Bodhi propped up two pillows behind our backs.

“Do you want another song?” Raj asked.

Mickey nodded.

“How do you play that thing with your claws?” I asked.

“It’s called a _“lire”_ ,” he said, picking it up, “and here, I’ll show you.”

He ran his claws along the strings, and sang:

_Let's walk together as we gaze ahead_

_Just let me hear your voice again_

_Let's walk together, even on your lonely days_

_When you find yourself unable to speak out, just wrap your hands around my shoulders_

_Let's always continue to seek out_

_Our hearts are racing in excitement_

_Even when we're making a little detour, right?_

_Our journey continues on, even onto the future_

_Of course, I find your smile_

_To be my favorite of them all_

Harriet had not been arrested. After going over the story and how she had intervened, they had let her go. But I had more questions.

Elexi pointed us to the dining hall where we saw her eating lunch with the Academy members. For a bird, she at like a Snorlax. When she saw us coming she forced the rest of her food down her throat and stood.

“Hey!” she said. She had a strong accent from somewhere up north. “I’ve been looking all over for you!”

“In that bowl?” said Tobias.

“It’s hungry work, running around after you two,” she said, wiping off her beak. “How you guys doing?”

“We’re okay,” I said, “for the most part. We wanted to thank you. You really saved our necks back there.”

“Just going my job,” she said, but I could see her back straighten and her chest puff out just a little.

“What is your job, exactly?” Tobias asked.

Harriet stretched her wings. “Why don’t we take this outside? I could use some fresh air.”

She walked ahead of us. She didn’t speak until we were outside, beyond the battlefield, under the shade of a chestnut tree. We were alone.

Harriet opened up her bag. It was a black satchel, sealed so that only someone with three claws of exactly her size could open it. She shielded the contents from us as she took out a small disc out of her bag. Blue-and-black, with a grey mirror etched into the middle.

“I’m a Varia Pokémon. I’m not a soldier, but I work for them; more like a vigilante. I’m here to bring Sir Alex back home.”

We were both silenced.

She waved her wing in front of my face. “Hello? Anyone in there?”

“ _Sir_ Alex?!” I said.

“Back home?” said Tobias.

“Oh Dialga, I got the right Alex, didn’t I? Alex Albion?” She pointed. “They said you’d be carrying one of those.”

I looked at the red badge pinned to my golden scarf.

Sir Alex Albion. S. Alex A. Of course.

Tobias put a protective hand in front of me. “That doesn’t explain what you were doing with those Pokémon that tried to attack Mickey.”

Harriet frowned. “They weren’t trying to attack Mickey. They were trying to attack Alex.”

“What?!”

I moved his hand out of the way.

“What do you mean?” I said. “They were after _me_?!”

“Those Pokémon were Skarsgard soldiers. They were trying to Pokénap you; you were a venerated solider back home. When my boss caught wind of what they were trying to do, he sent me to infiltrate.” She put the disc back into her bag. “So I’m hoping I got the right Pokémon, because otherwise some other Alex out there is having a _really_ bad day.”

I explained what had happened to me. What I knew of, anyway. Harriet’s face changed.

“You don’t even remember Dreigo? You don’t remember Ruby Forest?”

I put a hand to my temple. I shook my head, forced myself to stay awake.

“What are you talking about?” Tobias demanded.

“Is he okay?”

“Just tell me,” I said.

“Sir Alex,” said the Empoleon, “exhibit A, Knight of the Varia army. He’s part of King Dreigo’s Royal Guard.”

“King Dreigo…” said Tobias. “He really did it.”

“With Alex’s help. Now the Skarsgards are on the run, but they’re getting ready for a Mewtwo-grade strike-back. And to make matters worse, King Dreigo has gone MIA.”

“Missing in action?” I said.

“Missing in action. Dreigo and his guardsmon were lost in the battle for Grande City. None of them have been seen ever since. The only one to make it out of there alive was you, Alex.”

“Make it out of where?”

“Out of Ruby Forest.”

My hand went up again. I shook my head. No. Not thing time. I was going to stay awake this time.

“The Skarsgards trapped them in there,” Harriet went on, “somewhere at the heart of the Forest. They’re going to rot away if we leave them in there. That’s the other reason I’m here. I’m supposed to take you there.”

“No!” Tobias yelled. “You are not going to take Alex into that place!”

I startled. “Tobias?”

“That Dungeon is a _death trap_! Most Pokémon who go in there don’t come out alive! Treasure Hunters aren’t even allowed in there; they have their Badges taken away if they’re caught anywhere _near_ it!”

“Alex isn’t a Treasure Hunter,” said Harriet. “He’s a soldier.”

I looked down at my scarf, my Treasure Hunter’s Badge.

“Why him?!” said Tobias. “Why does _he_ have to be the one to rescue them?!”

Harriet looked at me, perhaps waiting for me to voice an argument. When none came, she touched the tip of her wing to the red badge.

“Alex is the only one who can transfer the power of the Booster Badge. Most Pokémon having to be holding it or wearing it to use its power, but Alex is special, for some reason. The only way they’re going to make it out of there alive is with the Z-Move, Inferno Overdrive. Dreigo’s strongest Pokémon knows how to use it properly. That’s what Zweil believes, anyway, and that’s why he sent me.”

Tobias balled up his fists. Harriet held her wings up, a gesture of peace.

“I know why you’re upset,” she said, “believe me, I don’t relish the idea of spending two weeks in that red nightmare either. But Alex is in danger no matter what he does. Those Pokénappers were after _him_ , and there are more of them on the way besides. Alister was a sleeper agent for the Skarsgards for _years_. There might be _hundreds_ of Pokémon with an order to grab him on sight.”

Tobias was holding back tears.

“Tobias,” I said, “it’s okay-”

“It’s not okay!” he exclaimed. “No matter who comes after him, Alex will be safe here! We can protect him! We all can! But _no one’s_ going to be able to in a place like that! He’s not going!”

“This isn’t some trivial _Treasure Hunter_ mission where any other idiot can pick up the gauntlet if you don’t _feel_ like you don’t want him to do it. This is war. Lives are on the line.”

Tobias forcefully rubbed the tears from his eyes. “I’m not letting one of them be his.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Oh, all right. Who exactly did you say you think you are again?”

“I’m his friend!”

“And Dreigo is his king!”

Tobias looked to me, desperate. I looked between the two of them, conflicted.

“I… need some time to think.”

“We don’t have long,” said Harriet. “It’ll take us at least a week to find where they’re keeping your friends. If we don’t make it in time, six Pokémon will die.” She shrugged. “No pressure.”

“Oi oi!”

Tobias almost jumped out of his shell. We were in the dining hall, silently picking at our lunch, when Mach the Breloom skidded to a halt beside us.

“Xerneas’ _sake_ , Mach,” said Cherry the Cherrim, the Academy cook, “you’re kicking up dust _everywhere_.”

“Shouldn’t leave this place so dusty then. You two,” he said to us, “upstairs, Sharky wants to see you in his room.”

“The Professor?!” Tobias dropped his Pecha Berry.

“If you ‘ave to be so formal about it. You can finish your food first-”

Tobias was already on his feet and brushing himself off. “Alex, hurry up.”

I tossed a whole Cherry Berry into my mouth and followed him.

“Wsh gn on?”

“I don’t know. Probably nothing.” He shook his head. “Probably something. Maybe nothing? I don’t know!”

Matty and Gloria stood guard outside the door.

“AY! THERE THEY ARE! WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG?!”

“What?!” Tobias exclaimed. “We only just-”

Matty laughed, and the floor shook.

“I’M _KIDDING_! NICE WORK WITH HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS YESTERDAY! WE’RE GONNA PUT THAT 10% TO “GOOD USE”.” He winked.

“Yes, we _are_ , in fact,” Gloria said forcefully. “But really, well done to both of you. You’ve really done a lot to strengthen our alliance with the Finleys, and I’m sure I don’t have to explain how important that is at a time like this.”

“Why don’t you give it a go anyhow?” I said.

“Well who knows what the state of the region will be once Dreigo comes fully into power. What will happen to the wetlands? It doesn’t hurt to have solidarity with our fellow Pokémon, right? And, on top of that, you’ve given lower-ranking Teams someone to look at as an example. We’re very proud of you.”

Tobias’ face flushed. “Th-Thank you, Gloria.”

Gloria pushed the door open. “Khan, the kids’re here to see you.”

“So we’re still kids?” I said. Tobias jabbed me in the side.

The Professor called us in. It was a large room with a cushion bed at the other end, and a circular rug patterned with the twenty-four Pokémon of the hour. In the corners were a rack of ceremonial robes and collars, a small zen garden, a shelf of books and scrolls, and a closed blue-and-red chest.

“Good morning, Professor,” Tobias said. He didn’t quite meet his eye.

The Professor chuckled. “I’ve told you before, Tobias, my friends call me Khan. Now hand over your Badges.”

Tobias’ eyed widened.

“What?” I said. “What do you want our Badges for?”

Trembling just a bit, Tobias unpinned his Badge from his scarf and handed it over. He gave me a sharp look, and I did the same. Khan took a Badge in each claw, somehow, and carried them over to the chest in the corner. He stuck his claw in, and it _click_ ed open. He fiddled with the Badges for a moment.

He stood and held them out to us. Instead of cream-coloured casing was a reddish-brown metal. Copper.

Tobias’ mouth hung open.

“Oh my god,” I said. “How did you do that with just your claws?”

“As of this moment, Team Goldenrod is officially a Copper-Rank Treasure Hunting Team. I want to thank you again for your help yesterday. I dread to think what would have happened if the two of you hadn’t been there! Hey.”

Tobias looked up.

“You’ve earned this, you know. You've come a long way. I hardly recognise you now from the Squirtle you were before. I’m proud of you, Tobias.”

Tobias’ face darkened in hue.

“Th-Thank you, Professor,” he said. He was out the door before Khan could correct him.

“… Does he want the Badge?”

The top floor had a balcony with a view. I sat alone, staring off to the north. I could see the red tree-tops of Ruby Forest from here. Unmistakable. Once I caught sight of them, I couldn’t tear myself away.

Footsteps. Tobias sat down beside me. We sat in silence for a couple of minutes, eyes on the horizon.

“I used to love sitting up here,” he told me. “I’d recite every single Dungeon in Itori, by name, by length, by location, by inhabitants; making plans to travel all across the country that never went anywhere, imaging all these incredible missions I would lead my Team through. Nothing was ever off-limits, at least not in theory. Except for Ruby Forest.

“One time Ross caught me sitting up here, staring at it. I asked him why we were never allowed to go there. I got the gist of it. It was a Dungeon hardly anyone ever escaped; you’d be a needle in a haystack and wouldn’t even know which direction you were pointed in. But surely _someone_ must have been strong enough to face it, right? I mean, the greatest Treasure Hunters in the _World_ are gathered here! Ross is one of them! All that training, all that experience, all that wisdom you’d gain over _decades_ of exploring; we’re raised in this Academy to believe that absolutely anything is possible; if you have a plan and enough courage, with enough time, with enough determination, you could make it happen. But not Ruby Forest. That was the line.

“He’d probably heard it a hundred times before, poor guy. He reminded me why no one goes in there. Why no one comes back. New Teams are told from day one that we’ll be excommunicated if we’re found. _If_ we’re ever found. It’s not just a Mystery Dungeon, you know. A Mystery Dungeon is something we can handle. It’s something we _know_. It was made to be hostile, it was made for only Pokémon to be able to survive in. But Ruby Forest is not a Mystery Dungeon. It’s a Mystery _Labyrinth_. That’s what he said. I never asked about it again.”

“Did you ever want to see it?” I asked. “Up close?”

“Of course I did. It was on my big-long list of ways I could make a name for myself. A name people would _remember_. It was number nineteen. Of two-hundred-and-fifty-one. But it’s not worth it. Your name is not worth dying for.”

I looked down at my feet, at my stubby little legs sticking out between the bars.

“I’ve gone through a lot just for my name.”

“And I’ve done stupid things for mine.” A small laugh. “It’s the reason I became a Treasure Hunter. Cynical right?”

“To be fair, most of what we’ve been doing has been helping Pokémon. There hasn’t been a lot of treasure hunting, all things considered.”

“Not so far, no. The Academy doesn’t support expeditions until you’re a Copper Rank.”

I groaned, put my face in my hands. “What am I going to do, Tobias?”

“You?”

“About the Forest, about our Team. About Dreigo. What am I going to _do_?”

“You mean _we_ , Alex. What are _we_ doing to do?”

I was stunned for a moment. “You don’t have to do that. It’s my duty, you don’t need to get involved.”

“I do, though. You’re my friend. You’re my _only_ friend. The Pokémon here polite to me; most of the time, anyway… but you’re different. You treat me like a person. A _real_ , honest-to-Zygarde _person_. To everyone else I’m the ex-member of something that doesn’t even exist anymore. I’m _nothing_. Even to the Academy staff. You’re the only real friend I have.”

He looked down, shifted where he sat. I tried to catch his eye, but he’d turned sea-blue, and wouldn’t look up.

“You’re my only friend, too.”

A small smile. “Until you find your old ones.”

“I’m not sure that’s going to be the happy reunion I was hoping for.”

“Hah, yeah. Maybe not.”

“What about the Academy? The Team? Wasn't this your dream?”

Tobias thought for a long moment.

“My dream was never just about being a great Treasure Hunter. I’ve always wanted to be part of a _team_. With friends. _Real_ friends. It’s been so long since I’ve had anyone I could trust in my life I think I bought into the idea that it would never happen. So I chopped that dream into fragments and picked out the bits I thought would be possible. But now you’re here. And you’re a real friend. That makes you a part of my dream too, Alex.”

I didn’t have an answer to that. But I wish I had.

“So. I’ll ask again. What are we going to do?”

“I don’t know,” I confessed.

“The way I see it, there are three paths available to us,” he said. “Stay here, and hope someone else takes care of this mission for us. Leave, risk everything, even our lives, and do everything we have to save your friends. Or…”

“Or?”

“We could ask the Academy for help.”

“That sounds like the best option.”

“On the surface, maybe. But think of the implications. This guy is a _usurper_. Northern Itori is locked in a _civil war_. What do you think would happen to the Academy if it got itself tangled up in a situation like this?”

“Yeah, I see your point. I guess we’d just have to hope we chose the right side.”

Footsteps.

“What are you doing here?” said Fortis.

“Nothing,” we said in unison.

He raised an eyebrow. We instinctively shuffled closer to one another. Fortis came over and leaned on the railings.

“Do you know why “King” Dreigo fought a war to overthrow the Queen? I didn’t think so. It was so he could wage a new war against Ruby Forest.”

“What?” said Tobias. “Can you repeat that?”

“No. He says Ruby Forest is spreading again. If it isn’t kept in check, it’ll destroy the surrounding land. It’ll _swallow_ it. He wants to stop that from happening. With force, if necessary. Which it will be.”

More footsteps.

Elexi gave us a warm smile. She went from flower-to-flower with a watering can shaped like a Squirtle. Tobias eyed it, uncomfortable. Fortis waited until she was gone.

“I can understand his point of view. Personally, I despise the place. But the Pokémon in there don’t know what’s about to happen. They have no contact with the outside world, besides a few stragglers wandering in a couple times a year. Outlaws, for the most part. Still, I don’t think any of them have the slightest idea of the kind of danger they’re in. That includes my parents.

“I’m leaving Lord Finely to look for them.”

We turned to each other. Tobias’ eyes brightened.

“You’re going in there, too, aren’t you?” said the Blaziken.

More footsteps. The roof was the place to be that evening, apparently.

Harriet waited at the top of the stairs.

“Hey there…” she said warily.

“I don’t give a damn which side you’re fighting for, Skarsgard or Varia,” the Blaziken said to her. “But you should leave these two out of it. They have a good life here. They’d be putting all that on the line, as well as their own necks.”

“Alex has a life in Grandé City as well,” said the Empoleon, “and he has a right to know where he comes from; he shouldn’t have to feel trapped here like this.”

I got to my feet. “I’m getting a little tired of other people telling me how _I_ feel. _Neither_ of you get to speak for me. I have a mind of my own. I’m going to decide what I’m going to do by _myself_.”

“I get your point, but any chance you could figure it out by sundown? We’re going to have to leave by the Lunatone’s hour if we want any chance of getting there in time; but we’ll also have to wait until dark, if you're not trying to get caught.”

“Are you going to tell the Professor?” Tobias asked Fortis.

The air changed. The Blaziken crossed his arms. “I’m not trying to ruin your lives. I know what’ll happen to you if you’re caught. If you three idiots want to participate in this suicide pact, I can’t stop you. Besides, if I can’t knock some sense into you, I can guarantee that Ruby Forest will.” He held up his hands. “I’ve done my duty.”

Harriet came up with the escape plan. Tobias and I would go by night, and if anyone asked, we would tell them The Excuse. I will not be revealing the excuse. Harriet would go separately. If they caught all three of us together, we would have to use a completely different kind of excuse.

Tobias and I stopped at the town square at the Budew’s hour.

“Big mission coming up, eh?” said Kecleon.

“Um yes, yes, big mission, hahaha,” Tobias said, eyes firmly on the ground.

“We’re headed down south,” I said.

“Whereabouts?” Kecleon asked.

“Uh…”

“Mood Caves,” said Tobias.

“Ooh, scary one,” said Kecleon. “Better stock up on Reviver Seeds!”

Tobias didn’t fight him this time. Afterwards, we made our way to Kangaskhan Storage.

“I hate lying to them…” said Tobias.

“I thought you said you had no friends.”

“Shopkeepers don’t count.”

“Ouch, why not?”

“Because they’re just after your money.”

“ _That’s_ pretty cynical.”

“Oh no, you don’t know those two like I do. They’d sell _you_ if they got the chance.”

“Huh. How much do you think I would get?”

He thought for a moment. “I mean, I didn’t even get a reward for rescuing you, so…”

“Are you serious?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know what to tell you. That’s just economics.”

“I am worth seven digits and you _know_ it.”

“You’d better be!”

We left the items we wouldn’t need with Kangaskhan. Unfortunately, we had nothing to take out.

“See you in a while, little K,” said Tobias, “I’ll miss you loads!”

The small Kangaskhan didn’t react.

“Bye,” I said.

She gave a big smile. “Bye bye!”

Tobias forced a smile, pretending not to care.

“Going for a while, are we?” said the mother.

“Mood Caves,” I said.

“That sounds tough! You two take care of each other of each other!”

“We will ma’am,” said Tobias, “please don’t worry about us.”

“You’ll be fine, I’m sure! You’re a perfect match, you two.”

We left at the  Houndhour . We waited for Eko, Karas’  night owl, night crow, KNIGHT CROW,  brother, to turn his back, then scuttled past as quietly as we could. We went wide around Emerald Town. Once the lights of the nocturnal life were behind us, we made quicker progress.

Tobias grabbed me and pulled me down under a bush. A Noctowl soared overhead. There was no telling from this distance whether or not they belonged to the Academy. We made our way down a long row of pink andromedas. Then we faced the open fields.

We almost noticed the other Treasure Hunting Team too late. We ducked into the shadows of the flowers right before they passed by us, and mercifully, they didn’t see us.

Sealeo, Staryu, Motley Corsola. Deep blue scarves patterned with full moons.

“Team Tide,” Tobias told me once they were gone, “Silver Rank. They started around the same time as I did.”

He looked down at his Badge. Copper.

“Two below them right?”

“Thank you, Alex.”

“That’s pretty impressive considering you only had a third of their monpower.”

“Hah. Yeah. I guess you’re right.”

After another half an hour of sprinting, stopping, looking back over our shoulder, we were finally far enough away from the watchmon that we could walk with confidence. We stoop on top of a tall hill, mostly hidden by apricot trees, known as Gumshoos’ Spot. From here, we could see all of Emerald Town.

The Academy, proud and tall. The fountain, a Wooper and a Quagsire splashing water on each other. The stalls, open just long enough for nocturnal Pokémon to stop by, the lanterns, the fuzzy shapes of a Lampent floating hand-in-hand with a Dusclops. The cave leading down to the hot springs. The back of the mural Rhys and Rebecca had painted.

Most impressive of all was the Emerald Monument. It was made of basalt stone, with an emerald star above a golden plaque. That was where Treasure Hunters of the Legendary Rank had their names were carved. So far there were six.

Tobias stared at it for a long moment.

“I never asked,” I said, “what were the other two-hundred-and-fifty ideas?”

“You want the whole list?”

“Yeah!”

“Right now?”

“All right then, what was number one?”

“… I was going to go home. I was going to fix things in my homeland.”

“You didn’t grow up here?”

Tobias didn’t answer me. I didn’t press the issue. We turned to leave. I glanced over my shoulder.

“Do you think they’re going to figure it out?”

“Eventually. When we’re not home by Sunday they’ll send someone. Just as long as no one rumbles us, we’ll be miles deep into Ruby Forest before anyone figures it out.”

“What if someone _does_ rumble us?”

“Then we’ll be waking up in the cellar; without our Badges, or your friends.”


	7. Run Away, Fugitives

_“If you’ve come this far, what choice do you have but to keep going?” - Idol, Ruby and Sapphire_

We woke to the sound of a Dodrio’s cry. It was the Sunflora’s hour. Somewhere, around twenty hour’s walk away, Emerald Town would be waking up.

I read the name of the path from a chipped wooden sign: “Chrome Pass”. The earth beneath our feet was dry and dusty. Tall, yellowing grass surrounded a path headed to the north. One of side of the path two Forager Raticate and a Joey Rattata shared a Big Apple; on the other, a herd of Tauros lay resting, heads on each other’s backs. In the distance, a herd of Miltank were sprawled across the slope of a hill, sunning themselves.

A Caterpie and a Weedle chased each other through the pasture.

"Keep a close eye on that tail,” he said, watching the two bug-types. “The grass here is really dry, it’ll light up like tinder.”

“Can’t you just put it out if it catches?”

“Oh, yes _sir_ , of course, your highness, sir.”

“I’m not going to _intentionally_ set the place on fire!” I said as I accidentally brushed my tail against the grass.

“Careful!” Tobias cried. Instead of my tail grabbing onto my tail he stuck his hand right into the flame. He yelped and recoiled, tripped over his feet, and landed on the back of his shell.

“C’mere, I gotcha,” I bent down to take his hand and pulled him back up. I stumbled backwards, right into the grass, which promptly caught fire.

Tobias pulled me away and doused it with his Water Gun.

“… Sorry,” I said.

“Yveltal above, be careful!”

“I was trying to help.”

He sighed. “I’m sorry. I shouldn't have snapped. I’m just… I’m just way too stressed.”

“It’s all right. I can see why.”

“It’s not an excuse. I’ll try to relax.”

A panicked scream came from a few metres away.

Tobias winced. “That is not helping.”

He took off through the brush. I clutched my tail to my chest and followed him. In a small clearing of flattened grass, a Whimsicott lay on the ground, hands up to defend herself. A giant sword Pokémon with scarf-like hands, a single eye, and a shield hovered over her.

He had raised his blade raised into the air. He paused when he saw us.

Tobias aimed Water Gun at his eye. The Pokémon protected himself with his shield then span and Slashed at him. I hid us with Smokescreen and made to creep around him. The Whimsicott tried to stand. He grabbed her by the arm and threw her in front of me as I summoned Flamethrower. I stopped myself just in time but ended up choking on my own attack.

Tobias used Brine. The Pokémon cut through the water with another Slash, then turned to a shadow on the ground. He snuck up behind me and struck me in the back with the point of his blade. Tobias fired Water Gun and hit him in the eye. The Whimsicott summoned a Stone Spore. The Pokémon managed to Shadow Sneak away just in time to dodge. He emerged a few feet away, looked from her to Tobias to me, then turned and ran. Figuratively.

“Stop him!” the Whimsicott cried. “He took my daughter!”

Tobias chased after him with Rapid Spin. It went right through him, but Tobias landed on his feet and fired Brine at close range. The Pokémon gave a startled cry as the water washed over him. But instead of retaliating he sunk back into shadow and kept running. Tobias fired Water Gun but he dodged every attack and disappeared into the grass.

I checked around for embers, stomped one out. No fire, thank Moltres. Oh, or maybe not.

The Whimsicott was inconsolable. We tried to ask her for her name, who that Pokémon was, why he’d taken her daughter. She didn’t even look at us until I said:

“Ma’am, if you can tell us anything you know, it’ll help us find her a lot faster.”

She stopped crying. She stared at us.

“R-Really?”

“Of course!” I said. I showed her my Badge, the one with the yellow star. “We’re Treasure Hunters; it’s what we do!”

She hugged us both tight. “Oh, thank you! Thank you! Latias and Latios praise you both! I didn’t know what I was going to do when those horrible people took my daughter away!”

“Who were they?” Tobias asked.

She wiped her eyes. “I’ve never met them before. I don’t know what kind of Pokémon they were, but there was a skinny white-and-green one, a small fluffy one, and that big nasty sword Pokémon.”

“Aegislash,” I said, “he was an Aegislash.”

“Do you know where they took her?” Tobias asked.

“To the rocky area, I think. That’s where they told me to go. They said they wanted ransom money for her. P10,000.”

“They stole her for ransom money?!” I said. “Why?!”

“I feel like money would be a safe guess,” said Tobias.

“Don’t worry,” I said, “those crooks aren’t getting a Poké out of anyone. We’ll get your daughter back, ma’am.”

The Whimsicott gave a shaky smile. “Thank you so much. You’re heroes, both of you.”

Tobias took me to the side for a moment. “Alex, what about…”

“This won’t take more than a day,” I whispered, “I can see the rock area from here, it's not far.”

“We might not have a day. And what if we’re not strong enough to take these Pokémon on our own? I hate to say it, but wouldn’t it be better to let another Team deal with this?”

“If we do that we reveal out location. If we send her off to request the mission herself she might tell someone about us.” I glanced over his shoulder. “What do we tell her?”

“Fake names, just to be safe.” He turned to our new client. “My name is Bruiser. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“And I’m… Booster.”

“We’re Team Hope,” Tobias said without hesitation. He’d thought about this, apparently.

“I’m April, like the old calendar “April”?” she said. “My daughter’s name is Auburn. She’s just the sweetest child you’ve ever met. Thank you two so much. I don’t have any money or items on me at the moment, but I swear if I can just have a few days-”

“Bruiser” shook his head. “No need. This one’s on us.”

She put her hands to face “You really are a pair of angels.”

“Not angels,” Tobias said, chest swelling with pride, “just two honest Treasure Hunters. Now, do you know where exactly these criminals are hiding?”

“They told me to leave it outside the hill with the old tree sticking out,” April said, “but they said if anyone came near them without the money in hand…” She put her hands to her mouth and stifled a sob.

I narrowed my eyes. “What kind of _sick_ Pokémon are they?”

“We won’t be seen,” Tobias said, “the grass reaches well over our heads, and there’s more than enough wild activity to hide us.”

“They said they can see the whole pass, even Pokémon hiding in the grass!”

“They could be bluffing,” I said.

“No, she’s right,” Tobias said, “we can't risk it. We need to find some way in without them seeing us.”

“All right, leave it me!”

I stood up on a rock poking out of the grass. A Spearow, far away in the distance. Something burrowing below the earth. The Raticate and Rattata were gone. The Tauros were getting to their feet, stretching, flicking their tails.

“I see an opportunity,” I said, “but we’re going to have to grab it by the horns.” I looked down. “Did you hear me?”

“Huh?”

I hopped down.

“Did you think of something?”

“I did,” I told him. “It’s a little dangerous, but Pokémon like us aren’t going to be _cowed_. _Cowed_.”

“… What’s the plan, guy?”

We snuck up behind the herd. There were maybe thirty, including a couple of newborns. Easy to startle, without causing any harm.

Tobias held a Blast Seed in his hand.

“I really don’t think this is going to work,” he whispered.

“All right, why don’t we do your plan instead? What was your plan again?”

We went with my plan. Tobias tossed the Blast Seed into the air, fired Water Gun. The Seed exploded.

The Tauros mooed and kicked and yelled at each other and took off across the plains, flattening the grass and kicking up a cloud of dust behind them.

“Come on!” I said. We couldn’t let them leave us behind.

“I told you this wouldn’t work!” he said as we sprinted to keep up with them.

“It got them moving, didn’t it?”

The Tauros were getting further and further ahead of us, and the rocky hills were still some way away. Moltres, this wasn’t going to work after all.

Then April jumped. A powerful gust of wind picked up behind us, and we were moving twice as fast as before. When I jumped, my feet kicked at open air; I landed, jumped again. The Tauros were only a few feet away.

“I told you this would work!”

We hid in the dust clouds until we managed to slip under a shelf in the rocky cliffs, where we waited for a moment to catch our breath. A gamble oak tree grew from the gaps in the stone.

April looked up. “Look!” she whispered. “There’s a crack! We can sneak in through there!”

We crawled along the ledge to reach a hole in the wall. There was a chance they would see us. But we’d bought ourselves time.

We picked our way over the rocks, as close to the wall as we could be. No sign of them so far.

We pulled ourselves up onto the ledge.

“I’ll take the lead,” said Tobias, inching ahead of April.

“Shouldn’t I?” I said, pointing to my tail.

Tobias considered. “Hmm… no, the light might give us away. Maybe we could try…”

April shoved him out of the way, squeezed through the crack. Tobias tried to shimmy in after her but he was too wide.

“Suck your stomach in,” I said.

“It’s a _shell_.”

“Stand back,” said the Whimsicott.

Tobias jumped out of the way just before an Energy Ball burst against the rock. It blew a hole large enough for us both to climb through at once. Which we did. We were scared.

The cave was large enough for Pokémon twice our size. I travelled at the back to keep my tail hidden, and Tobias looked the lead, running his hand.

A fork. Left or right.

“I think I hear something…” I said.

I pressed my ear against the wall. No sound but the huff of my own breath and the faint crackle from my fire. Maybe we were too- There!

I pointed to the right. Tobias frowned, so I pointed _harder_. We went right. Soon we all heard them. Voices. One high pitched, one soft and airy, and one deeper, metallic and echo-y.

Light.

We pressed our backs against the wall and edged forward, as close as we dared. Finally we could make our their words.

“Are you sure?” came the subtler voice.

“I have an eye, don’t I?” came the metallic voice.

“Leave him be, Sanne,” came the high voice, “he’s had a rough time.”

“Thank you, Isbel. At least someone appreciates the work I do around here.”

“We both appreciate you, Vijay,” Sanne said, “but I fail to see what a Charizard and a Blastoise would be doing on the Chrome Pass of all places.”

Tobias and I exchanged a look, concealed laughter.

“Do you think they were Treasure Hunters?” Isbel asked.

“If they were Treasure Hunters we’re in _big_ trouble,” said Sanne.

Tobias smiled.

“It was always a possibility that she would turn to them for assistance,” said Vijay, “we have discussed this at length.”

“Don’t give me that lip! The idea was to coax the money out of the Chromium Guard. The Treasure Hunters aren’t going to pay us a ransom!”

“Why not?” Isbel snorted. “They hunt treasure, don’t they? They should have more than P10,000 lying around.”

“And you think they’re going to part with it that easily? Without a fight?”

“If they challenge us, we shall win,” said Vijay.

“Love the attitude, V,” Sanne said sardonically, “but we’re going to need a more air-tight plan than that, and we’re going to need one _soon_.”

“How are they going to reach us, thought?” said Isbel. “Vijay could barely fit through that crack and he’s practically two-dimensional. If a Tauros can’t fit through that tunnel then a Charizard and a Blastoise sure can’t!”

Soft footsteps back and forth. Vijay said nothing.

“What if the Blastoise floods us?” said Sanne. “This hovel doesn’t have any leaks. With enough water…”

“They’d drown the kid…” said Isbel.

A pause.

“They won't drown us,” Sanne said, “Treasure Hunters aren’t White Knights, they don’t kill.”

“That’s not my only concern,” said Vijay. “If by some chance a battle does occur, she will be safe in there, yes?”

“Of course she will,” Sanne said, cooling down a little, “but I can’t say the same for us.”

April tugged on Tobias’ arm. He held up a hand, pleading for patience. She gave an exasperated, audible sigh. The Pokémon in the hovel went quiet.

“Isbel,” said Sanne, “go check the tunnel.”

Damn it.

A Swirlix hovered up through the gap in the wall. Tobias jumped at her and hit her with Water Gun and she went flying, knocking over a ladder leading to the corridor.

“Isbel!” the other two cried.

“Intruders!” said the Swirlix. “Three of them! The mom and a Charmander and Squirtle!”

“I’m sorry?” said Sanne.

“It was… hard to see through all that grass…” Vijay said.

Air whistled down the tunnel. April, Tobias, and I jumped down into a small, furnished hovel. A Kirlia held up her hand and I was suspended in mid-air. She brought her arm down and slammed me into the ground. April’s Energy Ball clashed with Isbel’s. Out of the smoke came Tobias’ Brine. Vijay narrowly dodged.

In the hovel was a rickety bookshelf lined with everyday travel items; Oran Berries and Max Elixirs and Sleep Seeds, etcetera; as well as a locked chest, a table, and four tree stumps as seats. None of them looked like they were made for the three Pokémon in residence. I’m not sure what a floating sword would need a chair for anyway.

Against the wall leaned a sword, a real one, sitting in an orange-and-black sheath. A frayed tapestry hung on the wall. It drew my eyes away from the battle. Red, yellow, cream. Eyes straight ahead, wings spread wide, flames trailing behind them; it was an illustration of Moltres.

Sanne waved her arm. The sword came out of its sheath. A longsword, made for a Pokémon much larger than she was. Its pommel and guard were studded with tiny orange agates. Its handle was wrapped with a blue fabric, and in golden string a word had been sown: “Runaway.”

She swung it at me. It surprised me, and I didn’t raise my Claws in time. The sword left a cut down over my eyelid. I put a hand to my face and gaped as blood came away.

She brought her arm back, thrust it forward. I jumped to the side. Mercifully, the cut hadn't touched the eyeball, and I could see her clearly. I also didn't have a permanent vision impairment, that's a plus too.

Sanne swung her arm, I blocked with my Claws. The Booster Badge glowed.

No. _Not_ here.

Vijay Slashed at Tobias. He banged against the wall, landed on his feet, fired a Water Gun. Vijay used King’s Shield; the water bounced off of a barrier of blue hexagons. He changed his stance, sunk into the ground. Shadow Sneak knocked Tobias off his feet.

April used Stun Spore. Isbel used Fairy Wind to blow it back in her face. She was stuck to the spot, and the Swirlix sapped her energy with Draining Kiss. April retaliated with Razor Leaf. Isbel recoiled, kicking childishly at the air.

The sword swung long, swung high, stabbed forward. I blocked each strike with my Metal Claws, but I didn’t have a moment to land a hit of my own. The sword came down, I crossed my Claws and blocked, the sword flipped around cut me under the chin. I hid myself with Smokescreen. The sword slashed violently at the air, missing me by inches. I aimed Fire Spin at her.

Psychic blocked it. The sword fell to the floor. When the fire died she raised it back up. So she couldn't do both at once.

Vijay’s blade shone purple, growing to twice its size. The air screamed as Sacred Sword cut through it, whacking Tobias against the table, knocking a stump over. Tobias retaliated with Brine; Vijay changed positions again, and King’s Shield blocked the attack. The Aegislash prepared another Sacred Sword, Tobias rolled under the table, and it was smashed to pieces above his head.

Isbel and April were both covered in Cotton Spores, slowed to an excruciating speed. They both charged an Energy Ball. We’ll circle back to them in a minute.

I ducked, the sword swung and lodged into the bookshelf. Sanne grit her teeth as she tried to pry it free. I used Flamethrower. Psychic nullified it. We were evenly matched.

Tobias used Water Gun. Vijay’s shield absorbed the blow. He changed his stance and his Slash attack knocked Tobias across the floor. He lay still inside his shell.

Isbel fired Energy Ball a second sooner. Both attacked exploded in April’s face. She tried to pick herself up but Fairy Wind pushed her back down.

Sanne laughed a laugh which sounded like half triumph, half relief.

I summoned another Fire Spin. She countered with Psychic. But she was getting weaker, and she only just managed to protect herself.

In the brief moment it took to recover, I had pried the sword out of the wood.

I cut the Kirlia across the face, kicked her to the ground. I stood over her with her own sword held to her throat.

The room went still.

Tobias climbed out of his shell. April stood. A look of pure terror filled the other Pokénapper’s faces.

“Let the kid go,” I said.

Vijay and Isbel looked at Sanne. She was looking at the sword, but that wouldn’t do her any good. If she tried to use Psychic, her eyes would give her away.

“Do it,” she said.

“Sanne, no,” Isbel pleaded.

“Please, do not act irrationally,” said Vijay.

“ _Do it!_ ”

Vijay closed his eye. “Very well.”

His sword shone purple. Isbel jumped into the air.

Oh. What now?

I covered my face with my free hand against the Fairy Wind. Useless. I raised Runaway to block the Sacred Sword. It flew out of my hand and I had to tuck and roll to dodge another swing.

“Oh thank the Gods you’re all right!” Vijay said as he helped Sanne to her feet.

“Don’t put yourself in danger like that!” said Isbel, nuzzling up to her.

What did they think I was about to do?

I looked at the sword lying on the ground. At the blade, the sharp point. A hand went to the cut on my face.

What _was_ I about to do?

“Danger?”

The Pokénappers looked up.

Razor Leaf sliced through the spores on April’s body, leaving her cuts all over her.

“You’re in more danger than you could possibly imagine! You three are monsters,” she spat, “ _monsters_! You stole my little girl away from me! You demanded ransom money for my child’s life!”

The Pokénappers were stunned speechless. Although, what could they have said?

“I don’t know how you justify what you do to yourselves. And I don’t care either.” A mass of green energy formed a the tips of her hands. “ _Just give me my daughter back!!_ ”

Vijay jumped in front of them. Energy Ball hit his shield and slammed him onto the wall. Tobias doubled-down with Brine.

Flamethrower overpowered Fairy Wind and swallowed Isbel whole. Sanne raised her arms and threw them sideways. I held up my hand and the sword cut me across the palm, leaving a thin red line. April grabbed onto the handle. There was a moment’s struggle, then April yanked it free, and brought the pommel down on Sanne’s head.

Isbel was the only one who could move. She look from Vijay to Sanne, eyes wide and desperate. She fired an Energy Ball.

April took the full brunt of the attack, then paralysed her opponent with Stun Spore. Her eyes scanned the room.

She raised her arms and the whistling was back. Tailwind swept rubble and dust all around us. The Moltres-patterned canvas flapped. April ran for it.

On the other side was a shallow dip in the ground where an untouched water bowl sat next to a pile of untouched Berries. In the corner, sat on a pile of cloth and wrapped in a blanket, was a small white Pokémon.

“Auburn!”

April cradled her daughter in her arms as we crossed back through the tunnel. She was asleep, under the influence of a Seed. She would wake up any moment now.

April was hurt. We offered her an Oran Berry, but she shook her head.

“In case Auburn needs it.”

Sunlight shone through the crack in the wall. The day was old, but it wasn’t over. We’d make it to Harriet in time.

On some impulse I can’t explain I turned around and help up my Claws. The blade of the sword was caught an inch away from my chest.

Beaten and bruised, they were still here. We hadn’t been able to bind them with our Badges, and we hadn’t been able to push them to surrender. King’s Shield blocked Flamethrower and Brine. April clutched Auburn tight and turned her back to Isbel’s Fairy Wind. The sword went whistling past; it hovered between us and the exit.

“April!” I said. “Use Cotton Spore on the sword!”

Balls of white fluff flew up into the air. The sword swung forward, bounced harmlessly off of my shoulder. Sanne let out a frustrated howl.

“Quick thinking!” Tobias said to me.

“Just came to me,” I said. From where, I don't know.

April took off. We might have stood a chance at beating them in a straight-forward battle, but we couldn't take that risk, not while she was holding the kid.

We reached the gap in the rock. Vijay sunk unto the shadows and slipped past us. Isbel’s Cotton Spores stuck to our backs and legs. Sanne scraped the sword along the rocks to free it from the spores; she swung it, I parried with Metal Claw. The blade chipped against the wall. I ducked my head and kept scrambled through the gap.

We made it outside. Tobias cheered.

Sanne and Isbel used the flat of the sword to vault over our heads. Sanne waved her arm and the sword point hovered an inch from me.

“Get back inside,” she said, “ _all_ of you.”

Isbel held spores in her tail. Vijay’s point as positioned between Tobias’ eyes. The sword’s was pressed against my throat.

We looked down. The Swirlix’ eyes followed ours. Her mouth hung open, her tail dropped, spilling spores down the side of the hill.

The Tauros. All thirty of them, even the kids. Horns pointed upwards, nostrils flaring, hooves stomping on the ground.

Sanne drew her sword in. Vijay pulled the others close. We raised our guard, ready for an attack. Then they sunk into the ground.

“Stop them!”

The Tauros tried to Stomp them out. But, of course, those were normal-type attacks. The shadows dodged our long-ranged attacks and slunk away, Moltres knows where.

“Yeah, run away, you cowards!” one yelled.

“You’re still fugitives, wherever you go!” called another.

“You’re not going to get away with this forever!” a third decried.

They were already gone. The Tauros leader growled and banged his forehooves against the ground. The jolt made us all jump.

The little bundle in April’s arms stirred.

“Mm… M-Momma…?”

April cried out and hugged her daughter tight.

“There you are!” Harriet threw up her wings.

Red rowan trees loomed above our heads. Stalks of red grass poked out, flattened against an invisible barrier. Red vines dangled above a gap left by two trees twisted unnaturally to form a small arch. Ten feet of barren land stretched from the Pass to the Forest. I took a deep breath. My hand went to the side of my head.

We explained what had happened. She sighed, relented.

“All right. But please tell me you’re at least fully healed.”

We were. The Chromium Guard had taken us to a cropping of Sitrus Berries, and there had been just enough for all of us. Thank Moltres the runaways hadn’t happened upon them first.

Rustling in the grass. I raised my Claws and Tobias raised his hand.

Fortis straightened, stretched. A brown-and-gold-bag was strapped around his waist.

“The prodigal son arrives,” he said. “About time, too.”

“What were you doing in the grass?” I asked.

“Waiting.”

“Fortis thinks we’re going to be jumped by another Treasure Hunter who coincidentally happens to be breaking their own cardinal rule the same time as us,” Harriet explained.

“It’s always a possibility. But they won’t be able to catch us once we’re inside. I doubt anyone’s going to put their Badges on the line for the likes of us, let alone their lives. No offence.”

“None taken,” said Tobias. “We’re glad to have you aboard.”

“Oh, yeah, super appreciate it,” I said.

“I trust you’re prepared?” said our new friend.

“Not quite.” Harriet picked up her bag and took out something long, metallic, coloured blue-and-black. She tossed it to me. It was about two-thirds the length of my body. It was studded with a tiny fire opals. I pulled it from its sheath.

“A sword,” I breathed.

“You’re a knight,” she said, “and every knight needs a weapon. The sword’s kinda the default, I just figured you could put it to good use.”

Could I? I guess it would be just like using a move, wouldn’t it? Except, moves need to be learned. Would I remember?

“Be careful with that thing if you don’t know who to use it,” said Fortis. “You could seriously hurt yourself, or one of us.”

“No kidding.”

“Give it a name!” Harriet said. “Every weapon needs a name, too!”

I considered for a moment.

“Hunter,” I said.

Harriet nodded. “Not bad.”

“Fitting,” Fortis said, approving.

Tobias smiled. “I like it. Hunter.”

Fortis helped me fasten the belt around my waist. The death stuck out behind my back, pointed just below the base of my tail. Hunter would wait in its sheath until I was ready to use it, Fortis instructed me.

“Yes sir,” I said.

“Any other surprises?” he asked Harriet.

“I’m ready to roll if you are.”

“Wait,” said Tobias, “we’re going in _now_? It’s past sundown!”

“If we stay here until sunrise we will be found out,” said Fortis, “our absence has already been noted.”

“Seriously?!” said Tobias. “By who?!”

A bang. We span around. The sky was lit by a bright green flare.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I only know that by the time I left, the Academy was in panic.”

Tobias’ mouth hung open.

I placed a hand on his arm. “Do you want to go back?”

He shook his head. “No. I’ve made my decision and I’m not turning back on it. I’ll go wherever you go.”

Fortis was already making his way across the barren ground. “Stay behind them, Harriet.”

We followed him to the where the red trees made an arch, hung with red vines, paved with red grass. At the very edge, I hesitated.

“Come on.”

“Give him a moment,” said Harriet.

The wind tugged at my tailfire. I shook my head clear stepped onto the grass. I clutched my head and bent over double and cried out.

“Alex!” Tobias put his hands on my shoulders.

I straightened.

“Are you all right?” asked Fortis.

“I’m fine,” I lied.

We pressed on. Fortis lifted red vines out of our way and the moonlight was swallowed up behind us. A curtain of light parted before us, glowing cyan, purple, and red. We stepped onto the red grass.

Together, we entered Ruby Forest.


	8. Mystery Labyrinth

Ω Volume Two: Ruby Forest Ω

_ “I’ll go wherever you go.” - Partner, Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team & Red Rescue Team _

Ruby Forest is made of red.

Red leaves, red bark, red grass, red soil, red Pokémon.

The wine-coloured Liepard jumped at me, her claws glowing scarlet. Fortis’ Blaze Kick came up under her stomach. Another landed on his back and bit him on the shoulder. He grabbed her by the ankle and hit her up under the chin with Sky Uppercut.

I looked for a target. Another Liepard struck me in the back. I turned and fired Flamethrower, he dodged. The flames hit a nearby magnolia shrub. It didn’t catch. The fire just bounced right off it, like it was made of stone. I was stunned for a second. Too long. The Liepard cut me across the face with Shadow Claw.

I lay still on the floor. The Liepard jumped on top of me and bit down on my throat and shook. I tried to push him away but my body had gone limp.

Harriet drove her Steel Wing into his back.

The items bag glowed gold. I peeked inside. A Reviver Seed was activating.

Harriet helped me up and I put my hands to my throat. No blood. I sighed with relief.

She raised her wing, the Liepard’s back paws turned black and he Sucker Punched her in the stomach. Another’s tail glowed the same colour and hit her in the same place. Assurance. I hit the male with Fire Spin, Harriet summoned a Whirlpool to trap the other.

Tobias’ Rapid Spin hit another in the side. She retaliated by Night Slashing him across the cheek. He ducked into his shell and she jumped on top of him, trying to reach her sharp claws inside. Fortis clocked her in the jaw with Fire Punch.

Another disappeared, reappeared a second later behind Harriet’s back, rammed their head into her back. Harriet retaliated with Hydro Cannon. A cannonball of water hit them in the face and sent them flying into the closest rowan tree, knocking their head against the trunk.

The other aimed Aerial Ace at Fortis but he cut him across the face with his swords. The Liepard turned, charged again, slammed into his stomach. Fortis grabbed him by the whiskers and he _yowled_ ; Blaze Kick hit him in the chest and he collapsed to the floor.

“Aerial Ace is a flying-type move,” Tobias said, panting, “how could a wild Liepard have learned it?”

“Pokémon who patrol the Barrier sometimes pick up items from their prey,” said Fortis. “This one must have found a TM.” He kicked the unconscious Liepard over and picked something up off the ground, a translucent shard of blue glass. “See? Part of a Wonder Orb.”

I looked down at the predator Pokémon. Four. There were four of them.

We had started with six Reviver Seeds, and now we had four. We’d been in Ruby Forest for ten minutes.

Fortis and Harriet were covered in scratches. Tobias looked ready to faint. Fortis didn’t even let him stop to catch his breath.

“Won’t they be able to track our scent?” my partner asked as we walked.

“They’re Barrier hunters,” Fortis replied, “they’re far more likely to stay close to the edge where they can pick off some easy prey.”

“I thought nobody else ever came through here,” I said.

“Nobody who was ever heard from again.”

The light grew dimmer as the trees grew thicker. Gnarled roots covered the ground and Tobias and I kept tripping over them.

“I hope that doesn’t happen during the next fight,” he said.

Pokémon watched us as we passed. Orange Dunsparce poked their heads out of the ground. Purple Surskit skirting over a pond whispered to one another. Wurmple with pale-pink underbellies scuttled down the tree trunks behind us. An eggplant-coloured Heracross watched us through the trees just long enough to make Fortis suspicious, then darted as soon as he tried to confront her.

There are no paths in Ruby Forest. Fortis’ guidance was the only reason we had any idea where we were going. This must have been a nuisance him, because he kept accidentally speeding up and going too far ahead, then consciously slowing himself down to walk just ahead of us.

“Please stop doing that,” said Harriet.

“I apologise,” he said. “It’s… not really a voluntary thing.”

“What, you're just accidentally speeding up?”

“I would never leave you behind on purpose.”

I believe he meant that.

We rested for the night under an ageing sergeant's rowan tree, twisted and bent over our heads. Fortis and Harriet took turns taking watch.

We left four hours later.

Under a canopy of checker trees, a large, shiny apple dangled from a vine.

“Leave it,” Fortis said, “it’s obviously a trap. A pretty pathetic one, if you ask me.”

We went wide around the tree.

Red vines snapped shut around Fortis’ legs and he was yanked into the air. In an instant he flicked his wrists and fire danced along the swords in his hands; he cut the binds away, but before he could land safely four more took hold of his ankles and wrists.

They pulled at Harriet’s wings and trident. Tobias tore one of them away with Bite, but another wrapped around his neck. He ducked into his shell, so the vines covered the holes. Three more snapped tight around my tail, hips, and shoulders.

The Booster Badge glowed.

Harriet looked around frantically. “Who’s that Pokémon?”

“This isn’t a Pokémon attack,” said Fortis; he ripped one of the vines with his beak, slashed another with his sword before it could grab him, but another weaved around his crest and yanked it backwards; “this is Forest magic. But there’s a Pokémon behind it somewhere.”

I tugged at the bonds. I lit it with Fire Spin. No effect.

“Alex!” Harriet choked out. “Use the sword!”

Oh, right. I pulled the sword from its sheath, cut the vines away. Another came whipping out of the leaves. I slashed at it, missed, it grabbed me by the wrist.

Fortis cleaved through one of the vines with his beak, another gagged him. They tugged on Harriet’s trident, prying it open; Hydro Cannon ripped through them all. Four more took their place.

I tossed the sword to the other hand and slashed the vine on my wrist. I tucked, rolled, cut Tobias free. We broke the vines holding Harriet while she recharged.

Fortis dropped his swords. They sliced through the vines round his legs. He flipped backwards, lightning-fast, and his kick crushed the vines holding his head in place. He managed to snap the vines around his wrists through sheer strength.

He landed on the ground and brushed himself off. The trailing plants were in tatters all around him. There were red marks on his wrists.

He picked up one of the swords, tossed it sideways into the woods. _Thump_. One of the trees fell to the floor. No, not a tree. A red Sudowoodo. The glow emanating from her hands faded. Fortis retrieved his sword, kicked her into the bushes.

He took three apples out of his bag. One for him, one for Harriet, and another for Tobias and I to share.

He suggested we eat while we walk, but it was clear Tobias and I weren’t in any state to be moved.

“Ten minutes,” he warned, then sat down to eat beside us.

Even during the day, Ruby Forest was eerily quiet. That made every little noise sound like a threat. We watched Fortis carefully; any sign of danger, he was our signal. Until then, we could relax. If something did come, we’d know about it in time to react. Thank Moltres he’d offered to come along.

He and Harriet pecked at their food.

“You two eat like birds,” I said, already wiping juice from my mouth.

Harriet looked at me. “Ha. Hahaha. Ha.” She swallowed the rest of her apple whole. She chocked on it. Fortis slapped her in the back and she coughed it back up.

“Better finish that,” he said, “it’s all you’re going to have until sundown.”

Harriet stared at the grass-coated apple on the ground. “… I’ll wait.”

_Rustle_.

Fortis was already on his feet, swords in hand, apple abandoned on the floor. Something jumped out of the bushes.

She skidded to a halt. A Deerling. Young, maybe a few months old. An orange back, her autumn coat; and a pastel-pink underside. She stared up at Fortis, awed.

He lowered his weapons to his sides. The Deerling cringed, but still didn’t run.

“What kind of Pokémon are you?” she asked.

“ _Susie!_ ”

_Rustle, rustle, SNAP._

Another Pokémon leapt over the shrubs. A Sawsbuck. Brown-red back, rusty orange underside. Much older than a few months.

He instantly lowered his horns and placed himself between us and the Deerling.

“Get away from my daughter, trespassers!”

Fortis demeanour changed. His hands tightened the grip on his swords.

Harriet raised her wings, putting herself between him and them. “Woah, woah, easy. We’re not here to fight.”

“What’s he doing with those sharp sticks, then?” the Sawsbuck snapped. “Wood carving?”

“Sticks?” I said.

“Fortis,” Harriet said, “cool it, okay? He’s just looking after his kid. He’s not a threat. Maybe we should put the sharp sticks away, just for a moment?”

Reluctantly, Fortis sheathed his swords. But he didn’t take his eyes off the Sawsbuck, even as he picked up his apple and dusted it off.

“We’re just passing through,” Harriet said the older Season Pokémon, “we’re not here to-”

“I don’t give a damn what you’re doing. Stay away from my daughter!”

“Your daughter approached _us_ ,” said Fortis.

The Deerling was still staring at him. It wasn't fear, I don’t think. More like wonder.

“I’m Susie,” she said. Her father shushed her.

“Why don’t you just turn around and leave? Hm?” said Fortis. “So we’re not in each other’s way?”

“I’m not turning my back on an outsider. And see I’m thinking that includes you, too, Blaziken.”

Fortis sighed and shook his head.

“Harriet’s right,” he said to us, “he’s not a threat. Just keep moving. Try not to look him in the eye, though, he might bite.”

Harriet gingerly picked the apple off the ground. Both father and daughter watched us closely as we passed. I was the closest to them. Susie’s eyes followed the fire at the tip of my tail.

“So pretty…”

“Oh. Thank you.”

“Enough,” the Sawsbuck growled. He put himself between Susie and I, nudging her around and driving her off into the woods.

We slept that night in a long-abandoned hovel in the ground, beneath a shroud of maple bushes. Tried to sleep, at least. I think I drifted in and out most of the night. I could hardly lie still, but I must have been too tired to get up. When the sunlight hit my eyes the next morning, I sighed and ran my hands over my face.

A beam of green light hit Harriet in the chest. Fortis leapt up into the maple trees so fast I hadn’t even seen him stand. There was a short scuffle. A dark-red Roselia, with flowers coloured rose and lilac, dropped to the floor.

I froze.

Five more emerged. Harriet’s Whirlpool captured two, Rapid Spin dealt with a third, Blaze Kick the other.

Another one landed right in front of me. I aimed Flamethrower, the Thorn Pokémon dodged with ease. He fired a seed from his red flower that hit me between the eyes. Red vines burst free from the other and wrapped tight around me. The Roselia was glowing. I grabbed my sword and pried the seed from my head. Blood spattered.

Tobias Bit down on the Roselia’s arm; with the other she summoned an energy beam to suck the life force out of him. He went down on one knee. The Roselia pulled away with him with Magical Leaf. Tobias fell to the floor, and lay still.

The second Reviver Seed activated. A veil of light surrounded him and he got to his feet, fully healthy. Two down.

Fortis growled in fruition. He brought his Fire Punch down on his opponent’s head. His body radiated maroon-coloured energy as Bulk Up raised his stats. Two more Roselia jumped down on top of him. Harriet was flat on the ground, eyes closed.

The Roselia before me rubbed his flowers together. They created a soft, high-pitched melody. Grass Whistle. My eyes drooped and my body went limp. Finally, I got some asleep.

Fortis let me rest for a little longer. The sun was shining down on us through the trees when he shook me away and placed an apple in my hand. I was eating on the move. He walked over to Harriet and kicked in the side to wake her up.

He dragged us along, faster than I wanted to be moving, so fast that when I banged my foot against a stone I choked on my food. Fortis kept moving and I jogged to keep up with him. I tripped on a root and dropped my apple on the ground.

“Leave it,” said Harriet, “trust me it’s not worth it.”

Tobias hissed and touched his face. There was a deep red cut across his cheek.

“Do you want an Oran Berry?” I asked.

“We’re not using our very limited supply of healing items for cuts and bruises,” Fortis said. He thought for a moment. “You’re going to need a stronger offensive against the Pokémon here. They’re mostly grass-type, as you might have assumed.”

“I did assume that, yeah,” Tobias said. “But to be fair, we do have two fire-types on our team.”

“That gives us an even bigger disadvantage. Ruby Pokémon are resistant to fire. If we want the upper hand we’ll need flying, ice, bug, or poison.”

“… I’ve got something he can use,” said Harriet.

She opened up her bag. She presented us with a pale-blue disc.

“This the TM for Ice Beam,” she said, “you canit.”

Tobias’ jaw dropped.

“I… I can’t accept that.”

She looked at the disc, back at him. “Why not?”

“You should use it, that’s a powerful attack! You’ve only just met me…”

“She’s only just met me but she’s walking me through Ruby Forest,” I pointed out.

“And if you want to survive Ruby Forest,” she waved the disc at him, “you’re gonna need some powerful attacks.”

She tossed him the disc. He held it to his chest, to his mouth, held it up in the air. Harriet chuckled.

“You have to hold it still,” I said.

“So you remember that?” Harriet said.

I blushed. “It’s hard to say what I’ll remember and what I won’t.”

“So you don’t remember what you remember?”

“I can’t recall.”

Fortis held up his hand. We instantly went quiet.

“Something out there?” Harriet whispered.

“No,” he whispered back, “I just wanted you all to stop talking.”

Fortis stopped walking.

“What?” he said out loud.

He was staring out across a large stream, wide enough for a Snorlax to light across. A pillar of grey smoke was rising from the tree.

“Fortis?” said Harriet.

“That’s not… There can’t be smoke in this place.”

“Why not?” I asked.

“Because where there’s smoke there has to be fire. Ruby Forest doesn’t burn.”

Fortis took off down the steep hill. Harriet anxiously held onto the unaptly-named whitebeam trees as we followed him down.

“Could it be a fire-type Pokémon?” said Tobias.

“It’d have to be pretty big one to be making a smog like that,” I said.

The only way across the water that we could see was an old, rotting, hollowed-out trunk covered in moss. It was just about tall enough for us to walk through if Fortis and Harriet ducked. Burgundy Burmy and Wormadam dressed in ruby leaves dangled from the roof. The water seeping through from the river below made me wince.

Harriet bumped into one of the Burmy and knocked her free, taking a chunk of wood off with her. The Burmy squealed and Tackled her in the knee. Harriet yelped and scuttled away.

From the other side we could see the smoke through the trees.

Harriet narrowed her eyes. “That’s not a fire Pokémon’s smoke,” she said. “Something’s burning.”

“That’s not possible,” said Fortis.

“Can’t you smell that?”

He paused. “Food.”

“Food!” Harriet exclaimed.

“We’re turning around.”

“Are you serious?!”

“We can’t survive for ten days on the items in our bags alone,” said Tobias, “we have to get food from _somewhere_.”

“That’s enough!” Fortis snapped. “You three have no instincts when it comes to surviving in this place. I _lived_ here for the first four years of my life; when I tell you a place is too dangerous, _it’s too dangerous_. Am I clear?”

None of us argued back. We turned back the other way. Tobias’ knee bumped on something.

A Wepear Berry.

“ _Leave it_ , Tobias.”

Instead Tobias reached under the foliage and pulled another one out of the same bush.

“There’s more over here!” Harriet called.

“Pinap Berries!” I exclaimed. I snatched one of them down and swallowed it in three bites.

“I don’t know how you can eat those things,” said Tobias.

“Five minutes ago I was considering eating tree bark,” I said, “I’m not going to be Sandshrewish at a time like this.”

Above our heads was a red-hued wild service tree, with one branch dangling over the path, a dotted pattern pecked into the wood.

“Camp Cookfire,” Fortis read out. “What the hell is this?”

We came to a clearing. It was wide, bright, with an open canopy that let the stars peek through. It was surrounded on all sides by a rainbow display of Berry bushes.

But what was most striking was the _colour_. Red trees, red grass, red bushes, all washed in a golden glow. Volbeat and Illumise danced in the air, maybe ten in total, maybe more. Their bodies were grey and their tails were yellow.

A Cubone and a Loner Marowak tended a fire made from rocks and powder, turning spokes stuck through with roasting Berries. Two purple Oddish with red leaves sat above ground sharing a Watmel Berry. A red-and-pale-pink Furret lay curled up under the shade of a Pamtre bush. Brownish-red Hoothoot chatted together in the trees, and a brownish-red Noctowl circled up above.

“I’ve never seen so many different Berries in one place…” said Tobias.

“But how are they all growing here?” I asked. “Don’t most Berries grow in different climates?”

“Ruby Forest is different from _every_ climate,” said Fortis. “ _Everything_ grows here.”

“Oi,” came a rough voice. An Arbok placed herself between us and the clearing. Like the Cubone and the Marowak, she had the colouring of a common Pokémon. “No weapons in the camp. Drop ‘em ‘ere and pick ‘em up on your way out.”

“That’s not going to happen,” said Fortis.

“Then you’re not comin’ in, simple as that.”

A marigold Mothim, a rust-coloured Pansage, a maroon Sableye, a wine Mawile, and an orange Dottler stepped out of the shade and formed a circle around us.

“Easy, Payton,” the Sableye said, looking us up and down, “you wanna be careful the way you speak to trespassers.”

“This is a safe area, Blaziken,” said the Mawile, “and we want to keep it that way.”

“This looks like a Sanctuary,” said Fortis, “Pokémon can’t attack in a Sanctuary.”

“We’re more concerned about what happens the second you _leave_ the Sanctuary,” said the Mothim, “There are a lot of Pokémon who hang around just outside waiting for that one naïve fool to step just outside the safe zone…”

“And we don’t know none of you aren’t Pokémon like those,” said the Dottler.

Fortis ground his beak and clenched his fists. That certainly wasn’t helping.

“Can’t he just keep them in their sheaths?” said Harriet. “We’re not here to fight. We just want to _eat_.”

“Same as everyone else, then,” said the Arbok, “which means there’s no cause for weapons past this point.”

“Okay, but can’t you sympathise with us a little? We only got here two days ago, none of us have ever been inside Ruby Forest before except for him, and we don’t _know_ anyone here. We don’t _know_ no one else is going to be a threat to _us_.”

The Arbok clicked her tongue. “Fine. I can see your point. But he’s to stay where I can see ‘im, got it? That one too.” She was looking at me.

The Forest Pokémon let us pass.

“Don’t let down your guard,” said Fortis, “even in a place like this, there could be trouble just beyond our eyesight.”

I placed my sword on the ground, a gesture of good faith. The Arbok ignored me.

Tobias and Harriet browsed through the bushes. I picked more out four more Pinap Berries.

“Don’t take too many, now,” said the Pansage, “leave some for the rest.”

An orange Dunsparce came hopped up and down but couldn’t reach them, so I offered her one of mine, and she accepted it gratefully. Fortis stepped over her head as she scuttled away. She brought the Berry to the Dottler and they split it in half. The Radome Pokémon gave me a small smile.

“Rn’t you hngry?” I said through a mouthful of Pinap. Fortis took a step to the side and wiped his knee.

“That’s not important.”

“Food’s not important?”

“Our _safety_ is what matters most here.”

“Yeah, I getcha. I’d hate to be somewhere unsafe when I starved to death.”

Someone whistled. The Marowak was waving me over.

“Be careful,” Fortis said.

“Tell you what, I’ll be careful until given further notice.”

The campfire was in the middle of the clearing. I guessed they wanted to share the Pinap Berries. I picked two more and carried them over.

“Berries for the fire?” said the Marowak. She had an accent from somewhere I can’t trace.

“Really? You’ll cook them for me?”

“What I’m here for, kid. Hand ‘em over.”

She speared mine, Tobias’, and Harriets Berries on one of the spokes. I offered to bring the food over once they were done. The water-types sat down in the shade under the Pamtre bushes. The Furret raised his head, ears twitching.

The Marowak looked me over. “Zapdos’ mercy, you look like you’re about to collapse.”

“It’s been a tough couple of days,” I told her.

“You just passing through, or is this more of a long-term stay?”

“ _Moltres_ , no.”

She chuckled. “Want my advice? Keep your heads down and try not to make any waves. They can’t get to ya if they don’t know ya exist.”

“Do you live here?” I asked.

“Yup. Been here a year and a half now, with the wife over there,” she nodded to the Arbok. “Name’s Jodie, by the way. This is Bianca, she’s my sister.”

“Howdy,” said the Cubone.

“It’s not so bad once you get adopted into a pack.” She used her bone to point to Fortis. “He’s a Ruby, ain’t ‘e? An’ he came _back_ , the poor fool.”

“Then why did you come here?” I asked, stupidly.

“I reckon that’s none of your business, friend.”

I blushed. “Right, right. Sorry.”

Smoke rose from the fire. Jodie turned the Berries over. Even all around.

“A lot of criminals come here seeking refuge,” she said, eyes still on the food she was cooking for us. “We got lucky, bein’ a native species. We stuck around with the Dancer Marowak for a while, but after our… cultural differences got in the way, we had to leave ‘em behind. We were lookin’ for the nearest Sanctuary. We managed to get our hands on some fire powder when we stayin’ with the Dancers. We set up the campfire here, and others started to gather to plain their own Berries. It’s a safe place for folks. We need that here.

“I know watcha must be thinkin’. Most Pokémon who come here from the outside world are criminals. The whole place is bloody thick with them.”

I glanced at Payton. She was still watching Fortis, and he was still watching the camp.

“That isn’t why we’re here,” I told her.

She chuckled. “Sure.”

“It’s not!” I the Badge out of my bag. “We’re Treasure Hunters. We’re vigilantes. We _help_ Pokémon.”

She shrugged. “Means nothing to me, kid.”

“Excuse me? Did you say you were a Treasure Hunter?”

I turned around. The Furret was standing there, rubbing his the back of his paw. His tail swished.

“I’m so sorry to interrupt,” he had an accent, too, but different to Jodie and Bianca’s, “but I couldn’t help overhearing.”

Damn it. I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone. I guess my Treasure Hunter’s pride just got the better of it. Still we weren’t mean to be leaving a trail. What if someone really did come for us in here?

I suppose it was already too late.

“I’m Booster,” I said, “I’m the Damager for Team Hope.”

“I’ve heard of you, from some of the out- some of the Pokémon from the outside world. I heard you help Pokémon. Do you accept missions from anyone?”

I rubbed the back of my head. “Sorry, but, we’re kind of in the middle of one right now.”

“Please,” he said, “I need your help. I… I want to leave this place. I want to escape.”

Jodie and Bianca went back to tending the fire. There was an uncomfortable silence between the four of us.

“We’re heading deeper into the Forest,” I said, “we won’t be getting out for at least another week; the fastest way out would be to head south.”

“The only way to escape is to approach the Barrier with someone from the outside,” said the Furret. “Besides, I’m not a fighter. I’m not strong enough to survive out there on my own. I know you probably don’t want some stranger trailing behind you, another mouth to feed and all that. But I know how to get by day-to-day, and I’d be happy to teach you!”

“They’ve already got a guide, Ewan” said Bianca, pointing to Fortis.

Ewan wilted on the spot. His ears drooped, his tail hit the floor.

“Oh. Right you are, then. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have bothered you.” He turned to leave.

“Wait,” I said, “let me talk to him first. I’m sure I can bring him around.”

Ewan’s face lit up. “Thank you! Thank you so much! I promise I won’t be a bother to you.”

Jodie handed me the cooked Berries.

“I want those stokes back when you’re done,” she said.

“They’re just branches,” I said.

“You kiddin’?!” she replied. “Do you know how hard it is to carve _Forest_ wood?”

“Like stone, it is,” said Bianca.

“Exactly,” said Jodie, “just like stone…”

Fortis watched expectantly as I approached. “Made a friend?” he said.

Harriet and Tobias eagerly took the food from me. I explained the situation. Fortis rubbed his temple.

“Have I not been clear enough about the rules in this place?” he said, exacerbated.

“I don’t think you have. You never told me you wouldn’t be welcome here either.”

Fortis stood. I folded my arms, daring him to try something.

“M cnfused,” Harriet said through a beakful of Grepa Berries, “wss ths guy wnt frm us aguhn?”

“He wants to escape,” I said. “I figured you’d be a little more understanding of that,” I told Fortis.

Harriet swallowed. “But why does he need us?”

Fortis looked up past the canopy of leaves. “The Forest barrier. If you look hard enough you might see it shinning. It’s not just figure of speech, it’s a real, physical thing. It can only be opening by the soul of an “outsider” Pokémon. _That’s_ why he needs us.”

“Soul magic?” said Tobias. There was something in his expression I had never seen in him before.

“That’s correct,” said Fortis.

“So how did you get out?” said Harriet. “Somebody must have helped you, right?”

“You came back here because you wanted to protect these Pokémon, right?” I said. “This guy is _asking_ for protection!”

Fortis put a hand to his forehead. “Fine. But he’s on _paper-thin_ ice. And we’re still using our pseudonyms. You didn’t tell him your real name, did you?”

“No, sir!”

“Hey,” Harriet said, spitting Pomeg juice, “he should be calling _you_ that! You're the knight!”

“Close your beak, you’re spraying,” said Fortis.

She swallowed. “Yes sir.”

At the camp fire I introduced Ewan to Bruiser the Squirtle, Ketsuron the Blaziken, and-

“Anne,” said the Empoleon, shaking his paw with a sticky wing, “Anne Chovy, at your service.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you all!” the Furret said with a warm smile on his face.

Fortis still didn’t look like he trusted him. But Moltres, if he even saw a Pokémon like that as a threat, we really couldn’t trust anyone here.

Night fell, too soon. We settled down, a group of four with Ewan a few feet to the side, under the cover of a cleanly-picked Kasib bushes. We’d made beds of grass and leaves, and Ewan had shown us how to create small cradles out of twigs to make a nest. Fortis declined the offer.

The fired died down to a gentle glow. Bianca slept in a cradle of her own next to Jodie, who snuggled into Payton’s curled-up body a few feet away. Three others guards were still on duty, but it took the Arbok a while to finally close her eyes.

It took me a lot longer. Even with the promise of safety, even with the exhaustion, even with a full stomach, I still wasn’t sleeping. Something was still wrong.

My hand went up to the side of my head.

I lay staring up at the canopy, at the brief glimpse of the night sky. If I watched for a long time, I could see the colourless sparkles. Just below the Barrier, a Noctowl circled overheard, concealed by a thin layer of fog.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Volume Two: Ruby Forest.


	9. Fog

_“You’re about to be uprooted!” - Milo, Sword & Shield_

The fog was deep.

It was a rich pink colour, so thick it was hard to see ten feet in front of us. It stretched from the soil at our feet to the canopy far, far above our heads, and it couldn’t be fanned away or cleared by moves like Defog. And to make matters worse-

“It _reeks_ of sweat,” said Harriet, attempting to cover her beak with her claws.

Not only that, it would put a damper on our healing. Any cuts, scrapes, bruises, or wounds of any kind would have to be healed by items. Even a small scratch wouldn’t heal on its own until the smog was gone. But our biggest problem was that most of the Pokémon we’d be up against wouldn’t have a problem with it at all.

Ruby Forest was often flushed with it. And when it appeared, it would invariably take days to peter out. So veteran hunters in the Forest had, naturally, found ways to adapt and use the weather to their advantage.

Luckily, we had a hunter of our own.

“Watch your step,” Tobias said, “there are upturned roots to your left.”

He and Ewan were leading the way. Fortis, who’d had an extra edge about him since we’d left Camp Cookfire, had seethed at first, but soon realised he had no choice but to allow them. Tobias described our surroundings, while Ewan told him what we were looking for.

“There’s a medium-sized Pokémon sitting up on the branch to our right.”

“I have to say, you’ve got a heck of an eye there, Bruiser,” said Ewan.

He shrugged. “I’m a Treasure Hunter, we need to be able to navigate all kinds of areas.”

“But actually being able to _see_ through fog is something else entirely! Is there much of this kind of weather where you're from?”

“I live by the coast,” he said, “so yeah, that’s probably it.”

“Is the Pokémon to our right gone?” Fortis asked.

“They’re gone,” Tobias affirmed. “They were only a Pumpkaboo, nothing to be…” he trailed off.

“Tobias?”

Tobias stopped. We waited.

“There!” He fired an Ice Beam into the air behind him. There was a high-pitched cry.

An Average Size Gourgeist fell to the floor, frozen solid. Fortis flicked his wrists and his swords lit up. Another shadow passed over our heads. Tobias fired another Ice Beam, missed.

Fortis raised his stats with Bulk Up. We waited, defences raised, for the first attack. The air turned cold; I hunched over and rubbed my arm. The fire at the end of my tail flickered.

The fog was growing thicker. It was growing _brighter_. Tobias fired Water Gun. We waited. Nothing happened.

Fortis urged us on, but none of us followed. A cold wind blew. The fire surrounding his swords was snuffed out. I yelped and clutched my tail to my chest.

A small orange seed hit Fortis on the forehead. He ripped it out but the vines wrapped around his hand and travelled all over his body. The pale beam of a Moonblast hit him from behind.

Through the fog the Pumpkaboo and Gourgeist fell on top of us.  Leech Seeds rained down and dug into our flesh.  I tried tearing the vines off myself but they were too sticky.

The light behind us died. Somebody struck me in the back. I drew my sword and swung wide, the Small Size Gourgeist became translucent and the sword faded right through her and struck a nearby prunus tree. The Gourgeist laughed,  then screamed in my face to make me flinch. Astonish struck me between the eyes before I could react.

A few feet away a Large Pumpkaboo fired round bullet-like seeds at Tobias. He retaliated with Ice Beam. An Average Size hit him with Razor Leaf from behind.

Fortis’ Blaze Kick dealt with her. A Small Pumpkaboo hit him with Shadow Sneak while his Super Size friend landed a Shadow Ball attack. Fortis’ sword struck them both down, lightning-fast. In another half a second he had knocked out a Large Gourgeist five feet away from him. How was he _doing_ that?

Ewan’s paws glowed yellow, and Fortis’ Blaze Kick gained a power-boost. But while he was distracted lending a Helping Hand, an Average Size Pumpkaboo’s Seed Bomb hit him in the back of the head.

A Super Size Gourgeist hit Harriet in the stomach with Moonblast. She retaliated with Drill Peck but her opponent disappeared into thin air; she hit the tree and got her beak stuck in the trunk. The Gourgeist reappeared and knocked her to the floor with Phantom Force.

I trapped my opponent in Fire Spin. She hissed, then disappeared into shadow. Fire travelled across the ground with her. I raised my sword. The Gourgeist emerged, still trapped in the flames. For some reason, I hesitated. She rammed her head into my chest.

The Protect bubble broke. Seed Bomb hit Ewan in the face and he curled into a ball to protect himself.

Fortis now had the ghost-and-grass types of all sizes covering him. He was hemmed in so close he could hardly move his arms and legs to attack. Two more Leech Seeds were draining his energy.

“Fortis!” Harriet called, pointing. 

A prunus tree branch dangled down above him. Fortis jumped off the heads of the Ruby Pokémon and grabbed on. Harriet’s Whirlpool sucked the Pokémon in.

“Tobias!” I called. “Use Ice Beam!”

Tobias’ Ice Beam hit the Whirlpool and ice crept over water. The Pumpkin Pokémon tried to escape but the water sucked them back in the more they struggled. They was frozen in place. By the time it had cracked and collapsed, they had all been knocked out. We cheered, high-fived each other. Fortis kept his hands to himself, but gave a satisfied nod. Ewan came out of the bushes, shook his fur off.

“You’re going to have to learn to fight some time, you know,” Fortis said to him.

“I know. I’m sorry, lads. Fighting really isn’t my strong suite.”

“It’s all right,” I said, “I’m not sure this sword is working out for me, either.”

Harriet slapped me on the back. “Hey, don’t beat yourself up about it. I’m sure you’ll remember how it works soon!”

I looked down, turned the sword over in my hand.

I forced a smile. “I guess so.”

After lunch, a Berry and a piece of fruit for each of us, we came upon the Living Bridges. Using sunlight as a natural guide, the plantlife here had been manipulated to the will of the Pokémon occupying the area. At first it consisted only of bridges used to cross the deep ravines in the ground, but further on it turned into an entire village; or as close to one as you could find in Ruby Forest.

Bridges, ladders, rails, a whole _woods_ made entirely from the “living arts”. There wasn’t a unchanged tree in sight.

The bridges spread far and wide across the canyons. Some even connected to tunnels dug into the canyons. The land below was wild and untamed. It looked like a war zone, yet here was more life than we’d seen anywhere else in the Forest so far.

But the fog had grew thicker, and soon we could hardly see any of it at all. We could see six, maybe seven feet ahead. Tobias could still identity shapes from a short distance, but it was getting harder to tell which were Pokémon and which weren’t. So we steered away from all of them.

Fortis held up his hand. Someone had left a bouquet of three different kinds of fruit dangling from a tanoak tree. Now we didn’t know which way to turn.

Fortis drew his swords, flicked his wrists.

“We’ll turn back and circle around,” he said. He turned and took three steps in the opposite direction, when something snapped shut around his leg.

More figures burst out of the ground. Green clamps with long, sharp prongs, snapping shut over our ankles and tails. Harriet jumped back just in time to dodge one. The Carnivine leapt out of the earth. She used Drill Peck, he dodged, struck her in the back of the head with Power Whip.

Fortis used Blaze Kick to burn the predator’s mouth and pulled free. Another jumped at him, jaws stretched wide open. Fortis hit her under the chin with Sky Uppercut. His body turned maroon as Bulk Up raised his stats.

I aimed Fire Spin at the ground. It captured me as well, but I was able to break free. I could walk freely in my own trap.

Tobias aimed Ice Beam at his feet. The Carnivine released him from her jaws, then two red vines came up and tied him to the ground. I grabbed him and pulled him free. The vines lashed at me but I had Fire Spin as my defence.

The largest Carnivine went for Ewan first. White light shone through her as she Stockpiled energy. Ewan tried to run but his paws were week and he stumbled and fell. The predator prepared the attack.

Ewan’s eyes widened. “Floriane?”

The Carnivine paused.

Ewan laughed. “Floriane! It’s me, Ewan! Do you remember, we met at the Moringa Miracle a few months ago? You remember, don’t you?”

She raised her arms. “Ewan!” She lifted him up in a hug. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t recognise you since you evolved! It’s so great to see you again!”

“Aha, you too…” he said, trying to protect his windpipe. “I’m with my friends, so, you know, if you don’t mind…”

She gestured to the other Carnivine. They reluctantly let us go.

“Oh wow, we need to catch up! Just as soon as we find some food, hahaha.”

Ewan pulled out an Apple and a pear. Floriane gave a small smile.

“You’re sweet. But I think we’re going to need a little more than that to fill us all up. None of us have eaten is six days.”

“Six days?!” I said.

“But friends don’t eat friends. That’s rule number two.”

“What’s rule number one?” asked Harriet.

“Friends don’t execute friends over territory.”

She smacked her head. “D’uh, of course.”

“I’m very sorry, Floriane,” said Ewan. “I wish we could help, but this really is all I can spare.”

The Carnivine patted him on the back. “Don’t worry about it, hon. You just think about keeping yourself alive.  And watch out for the old switch-out next time!” she added with a wink. “Second oldest trick there is.”

We were tired.

We had found far less food than both Fortis and Ewan had estimated we would. By the next morning, day five, we were down to less than of our original stock. It was then Fortis started turning down food. By dusk, even we could hear his stomach growling.

“You need to eat something, mate,” said Harriet.

“You need,” he said between breaths, “to conserve your energy.”

“ _You’re_ running out of energy! You haven't eaten in almost twenty-four hours and we’ve been going none-stop since then!”

“I’m more than capable,” he drew in a breath, “of handling my own limits, thank you.”

“Seems to me you don’t actually know what those limits _are_. I’m trying to help you!”

_Rustle. Snap._

Fortis growled and lit his swords. “What is it _now_?!”

Tobias snuck closer to peer through the fog.

“Somebody’s coming right at us!”

“How close?”

“Ten, fifteen feet.”

“Description.”

“Tall, blue hood, bipedal, approaching fast, alone.”

“We’re not taking that chance. Move, now!”

We took off at a steady run. We had to push our way up a steep hill, through a grove of “wraithvines”; ghost-like vines that reach out and wrap around the body. They were easily to slip out of, but they sucked away a Pokémon’s heat and energy with every touch.

“I know you’re tired,” Fortis said, and after a second I realised he was talking to me, “but you need to push through it.”

“I’m sorry,” I said, gasping for breath, “I don’t know what’s wrong with me!”

“Nothing is wrong with you, you’re just at a disadvantage. This place is more brutal on fire-types than it is on anyone else.”

Wooden steps led us up a steep hill that opened onto a long, swaying bridge; Pokémon-made, this time. I clung to one of the posts to take a look at the ground below. All I could see was fog.

“Waker Bridge,” Fortis and Ewan said at the same time.

Harriet cautiously placed her foot on the bridge. “You sure this will hold all of us?”

“We could go one at a time,” Tobias suggested.

“No,” said Fortis, “that would leave us vulnerable to be picked off by predators. If we go back we’ll run into whoever’s behind us. Go one at a time and hold onto the rails. If the bridge can’t hold us all I’ll stay behind and wait.”

“Are you going to be okay on your own?” Harriet asked.

When he saw the looks on our faces, he turned his face away. “Better than any of you would be. Are you deaf? Go! Move it!”

Harriet took the lead. After we had all climbed on a few steps, the bridge creaked and swayed a little. We waited a moment.

“It’s safe!” I called. “You can come with us!”

Fortis tested the bridge with his foot, stepped off the ground.

The fog pressed in closer around us. The wind shook the railings. None of the planks gave way. Only once we were all halfway across that the danger presented itself.

The fog congealed, so dense we could only see one thing at the other end. A black, bipedal figure.

“Is that the Pokémon you saw?” said Fortis.

Tobias shook his head. “I don’t… I don’t think that’s a Pokémon.”

Fortis lit his swords. “Stay here.”

He crept further. We followed him. The fog got thicker with every step.

We stopped. The figure had gotten closer.

“I think we’re between a rock and a spooky dark place,” said Harriet.

“Back the other way,” Fortis said, “we’ll take our chances with the stalker.”

The fog had completely hidden the way back. Tobias prayed to Yveltal we wouldn’t run into our pursuer here. Still, if they also happened to be afraid of-

Another figure, identical to the other. We looked over our shoulders. The first figure was closer still. It had a bald, round head, two arms, two legs, and no tail. We never saw them move, but once we looked from one to the other and then back again, the thing had gotten closer, but nobody else noticed anything had changed.

Tobias was panicking. Fortis was barking orders no one was listening to. Harriet was looking between the two frantically, yelling that they were moving faster. Ewan was frozen on the spot. No one was doing anything!

So I raised my sword and broke the planks beneath us. We fell.

“ _Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!!_ ”

It was so far down we couldn’t see the floor. Then the fog cleared and we saw that it was a very, very long way down.

Fortis dug his swords into the giant sequoias around us to slow his fall. I reached out but couldn’t grasp anything. Fortis jumped from one tree to the other and grabbed me out of the air. I climbed onto his back and held on tight. I may or may not have been screaming.

He jumped from one tree to the other, to the other, then jumped again and caught Tobias’ hand. My partner clung to his chest. Ewan was a few feet from the ground. Fortis ran vertically down the trunk, leapt, and snatched Ewan up in his beak, skidding over the leaves on the forest floor.

Harriet grabbed onto the branches, they snapped beneath her weight, she dug into the trunk with her beak and wings, the bark came away, and she fell ten feet to the ground with a _thud_.

“Anything broken?” asked Fortis.

“Nothing by my dignity.”

“Your what now?”

“Do not tempt me into drowning you again.”

Fortis lowered us to the ground. Then he just kept walking.

“Wait!” Harriet called. “We need to _rest_! None of us can _move_ and you’re hardly any better!”

“You’ll be fine once the vertigo fades.”

“You’re going to drive us to death.”

“I’m trying to do the exact _opposite_ of that!”

_CRRRRAAAAAAAAAAACK._

Fortis’ head snapped around. Movement in the trees. Branches breaking. The ground shaking. Pokémon running away.

At first she was just a dark shape in the fog. But even close up it’s hard to recognise her at first, she’s so well camouflaged; but once you do, it takes a moment for your brain to accept what your eyes are telling it.

Scarlet skin, jet-black teeth, blood-red eyes. Almost as tall as the trees themselves, stretching to ten times my own height, barely managing to fit through the gaps in the trees you could have built a small house between.

“Sierra,” said Ewan.

The Giant Aerodactyl.

Sierra lowered her neck, spread her wings wide and roared. The sequoias shook. The wild Pokémon cried out and covered their heads.

Bulk Up raised Fortis’ stats. He used the trees to jump higher and higher, dodging the Giant’s attacks. Her wing banged against one of the trunks, and Fortis used the opportunity to leap onto her shoulder.

“Bruiser, you and I will attack one ankle,” I said, “Anne will take the other.” I held out the items bag. “Ewan, you focus on healing supplies and using your Helping Hand!”

“Who put you in charge?” said Harriet.

“Now’s not the time!”

“All right but if we all end up dead I’m holding you personably responsible.”

“That’s fair.”

Sierra tossed Fortis, he landed on a tree and kicked off with Blaze Kick; Sierra’s wing blocked, he back-flipped, caught himself on the bark with his blades, then dropped down to dodge her hand. Ice Beam and Metal Claw targeted one ankle, Whirlpool the other. Ewan hectically ran back and forth with items in paw.

Sierra Stomped down on Harriet with her left foot; she shielded herself with Steel Wing but the Giant pushed her until she’d forced her onto her back. She kept pressing down on her. Ewan’s paws glowed yellow and Harriet’s body did the same. She raised her Wings and pushed the Giant away and rolled out from under her.

Sierra’s fangs crackled with electricity. She stretched her jaws wide and dove at Fortis. Her teeth snapped at nothing and Fortis landed a Blaze Kick to the back of her neck.

The Giant snatched at thin air. Fortis jumped from one tree, to another, and another, struck out with Blaze Kick. Sierra shifted and he caught himself on the ground. A giant stone, shaped curiously like a gravestone, rose up from the earth and toppled over. Fortis rolled, dodged, then made his way back up the trees.

Sierra summoned another Thunder Fang. He narrowly dodged. Her teeth sunk into the nearest tree, and she ripped them away. It barely left a scratch. That’s when I noticed how clean the area looked. There was hardly any sign of damage at all.

Fortis was behind her. She manoeuvred herself around, knocking Ewan into a tree with her tail without even noticing him.

Tobias, Harriet and I created a combined attack. Ancient Power stones rose up from the ground. Harriet raised her Steel Wings just in time to protect us from the blow.

The Booster Badge glowed.

“Don’t!” Harriet said. “You can’t use that thing in here!”

“Why not?!”

“Ruby Forest is like one huge room; if you use that thing even one time, we won’t be able to take it to King Dreigo!”

Thunder Fang missed. Fortis landed a Blaze Kick between her eyes. We cheered. Fortis caught himself on a tree. Sierra’s jaws closed down on him. Fortis howled.

We combined Ice Beam, Metal Claw, Steel Wing, and Helping Hang onto one ankle. Sierra tossed Fortis aside he went rolling in the dirt, while orange energy formed in Sierra’s mouth.

“ _Dodge it!_ ” I cried.

We jumped out of the way just in time. Hyper Beam tore through the trees. Fortis tried to stand but in his injured state he wasn’t fast enough; but Ewan was. He held his paws up and a Protect bubble shielded him from the attack.

Harriet, Tobias and I combined our powers again, concentrating on the same spot. Sierra roared, tucked in her wings, lowered her head, and charged. Ewan raised his bubble. It broke. She rammed all five of us into a trees.

Fortis’ sword cut the Aerodactyl’s eye lid. She pulled back for a moment. Ewan took the opportunity to drop the bag and run away.

“Coward!” Fortis spat.

Another gravestone fell on top of us. Fortis’ Sky Uppercut broke through but a chunk of rock hit him in the face.

Sierra’s body flashed six different colours. Harriet ran to Fortis’ side but he ordered her to keep away. The Aerodactyl charged another Hyper Beam. Fortis climbed into the trees, leading her away from us. She opened fire. He dodged. It took him a moment to recover. He struck out again with Blaze Kick. Sierra threw her head back and slammed him into the tree trunk.

Fortis landed, fell to one knee. Harriet was at his side, trying to help him to his feet.

“Stay _back!_ ” he yelled.

Sierra had them pinned. Tobias and I tried to draw her attention away but it was as if she didn’t even feel our attacks. The Giant Aerodactyl charged Hyper Beam.

Then she paused.

Buzzing. All around us. Each of stopped what we were doing, trying to locate the source.

The buzzing grew louder.

Then the trees exploded all around us. A swarm of orange Combee surrounded us. The Vespiquen hovered a few feet away, barking orders, all much the same:

“Attack! Aim for the eyes! Take her down! Disable her! Sting her around the mouth! If she swallows you sting her in the back of the throat! Sting! Sting! Sting!”

Sierra roared, stumbling backwards through the trees. She put her weight on one ankle, the one we had targeted, and it gave out from under her. She toppled over. There was a loud _splash_.

Ewan out Oran Berries from the bag.

“Did you do this?” Fortis said as the Furret forced one into his hand.

“I met Pavel here a while back,” he said. One of the Combee flapped his wings in greeting. “We’ve been good friends ever since. I told him what was happening and he managed to rally everyone to come and help us!”

“You managed to summon the _entire swarm_ because you happened to know a single Combee?”

“Mighty oaks from acorns grow. That’d be a Forest saying.”

“Yeah,” said Fortis, finally accepting his offering, “I’ve heard it.”

“Booster!”

It was Tobias. He was by the small lake where Sierra had fallen.

“What are you doing?” said Fortis.

“Her head’s underwater! She’s going to drown!”

Harriet, Ewan and I ran to shore. Sierra lay completely still. Tobias and Harriet dove down, and Ewan waded into the shallows. They pulled and dragged her until her head was above water, where I put my hands under her and helped to lift.

“We need to get her out of the water or she’ll crack,” said Ewan.

“I’m doing the best I can,” Harriet panted. “I’m still recovering from that time she tried to eat us alive.”

Ewan looked up. “We could really use your help here,” he called.

Fortis looked away.

Tobias was kicking in the water, probably making more noise than progress. The water was up to my waist. I hissed through my teeth and kept pulling.

“The faster we get her out of there the faster we can leave,” Harriet said.

Fortis sighed, sheathed his swords. With his help we finally managed to drag the Giant out of the water. His hands caught fire and he held them just above the Aerodactyl’s skin. Tobias use his scarf and I fired Flamethrower into the air. We’d only be able dry her from the neck up, but it would have to do.

She opened one eye. Fortis raised his fists in defence, but she didn’t move. She couldn’t even lift her head.

I reached into my bag.

“Here,” I placed my only Sitrus Berry on the ground. “It’s not much, but we don’t have any more to spare. I hope this helps.”

The Giant closed her eyes. Her tongue came out and she swallowed the Berry. There was a gentle hum and a faint yellow glow.

“Thank you.”

Fortis stopped a few feet ahead of us and cleared his throat to indicate that we were, once again, on the move.

“You might come to regret that,” he told me.

“If I had let her die, I definitely would have.”

“I’m sure her future prey will share your sentiments.”

“Which do you think is worse?” I asked. “Being killed for food, or being killed just for the sake of it?”

Fortis took a deep breath. I realise now how obnoxious I was being. He was trying to keep _us_ safe, and if he hadn’t, we really would have been eaten alive. But at the time I must have felt like I was saying the right thing.

“I never would have expected to see an Aerodactyl living in a forest,” Harriet said, most likely for a change of subject.

“She must have been born here,” said Tobias, “with the red skin and everything.”

“But how is that possible?” I said.

“What are you gettin’ at?” said Ewan.

“Aerodactyl is a prehistoric Pokémon,” I said, “they’re revived from fossils.”

“That is correct,” said Fortis.

“So how can they be here now?”

“They were revived from their fossils.”

“By who?”

“By humans, of course. Then they started meeting one another in the World, and they’ve started to populate again. You remember Barns; he’s the sixth generation of an Anorith revived from a Claw Fossil.”

“Humans…”

“Don’t sound so reverent. Humans weren’t all that impressive. I know they built a few of the World’s buildings, like Grande Castle and Silver Mine, but there’s really nothing they could do that Pokémon can’t do on their own. And there’s a hell of a lot they _couldn’t_ do that we _can_.”

“I’d say they haven’t had much impact on _our_ culture,” said Ewan.

“I’d say you’re better off that way.”

Harriet once again decided the subject needed to be changed. “What are these trees called?” she asked.

“Giant sequoias,” Fortis told her, “or redwoods, colloquially.”

“Isn’t that a little confusing?”

“It would be like calling a regular tree a brownwood,” I said.

“I thought trees on the outside were green,” said Ewan.

_Rustle_.

We froze.

_Snap, crack._

The fire flared up on Fortis’ wrists. “Move.”

We ran. The rustling got louder and faster.

“Think it’s the hooded Pokémon?” asked Harriet.

“We left a left a hell of a paper trail for them.”

Wild Pokémon were scarpering. The fog clouded our vision. Fortis kept accidentally passing us then pulling back to run by our sides. Harriet snagged her foot on something and ended up on the ground, blind, calling for us. Tobias had to turn around and guide her back.

“How close?” said Fortis.

“Maybe five feet,” said Tobias, panic creeping into his voice.

“Dialga, how come we didn't hear them?!” said Harriet.

The hooded figure was far too fast to outrun. It didn’t seem like the fog was fazing them at all. We had no choice but to stand and fight.

Flamethrower, Water Gun, Whirlpool. Fortis raced ahead of us and lit his swords, Ewan raised his paws to offer him his power.

Dark-blue light flared up and surrounded the figure, twisted, flared, until a four-hoofed, horned, and furred creature made of dragon-type energy came charging out of the woods, it tearing through every long-range attack we could fire. Fortis tried to counter with Blaze Kick but the figure was far more powerful; was thrown into the air and went rolling backwards across the ground.

He jumped to his feet. He lit up his swords and slashed at the figure over and over again, but was blocked by two glowing white fins every time. Then he caught sight of the face beneath, and froze. The battle stopped.

The figure threw back their hood. Tobias yelped. Harriet put her wings to her face and groaned.

Professor Buckeye shoved Fortis aside and stood above Tobias and I. My partner shrunk halfway into his shell.

“Stand up straight when I address you, Tobias.”

“Tobias?” said Ewan.

Well, that didn’t last long.

Reluctantly, Tobias came out of his shell.

“I’ve had Hunters go renegade, break rules, attack other members, become _criminals_ ,” he said, “but this is a fresh new feeling of disappointment for me. I _believed_ in you!”

Tobias flinched.

“Before you even believed in yourself! Every single time you needed it _we_ were there for you! We _never_ turned our backs on you!” He took a deep breath. “But we're long past that now. You are beyond our help now. And the worst part? You’ve dragged someone else down with you. Somebody who relied on _you_.”

I stepped between them and lifted my head to meet his eye. “I knew exactly what I was doing! This entire thing was _my_ idea!”

“Alex, stop, please,” Tobias said.

“How the hell did you know where we were?” Fortis demanded.

“Do you think we're run by Zubat?!” Khan snapped back. “My staff told me! They said you four had been huddling together like Wishiwashi ever since you came back from that mission!”

“That doesn't explain how you knew where we were going,” said Harriet.

“I don’t have jack to explain to you, Empoleon.”

“Were they spying on us?” Tobias blurted out.

And wasn't one of their staff members a Gardevoir, a Pokémon with future vision?

The Professor didn’t answer his question. He just stared down at him.

“You know, maybe Alex did me a favour. At least I’ve seen your true colours now before you managed to get even _more_ Pokémon hurt.”

“You’re wrong,” I said.

“Am I? Am I really, now? Do you really think you can in any way justify this decision to me?!”

“That’s not what I’m talking about! You’re wrong about Tobias! You weren’t always there for him! You weren’t there for him when he was living alone eating nothing but Oran Berries! You weren’t there for him when he was being treated like a joke your other members! And I don’t remember any of you being there on any of our missions where we almost _died_! Tobias doesn’t owe his whole _existence_ to you!”

“Alex, _please_ ,” said Tobias.

“No,” said Khan, in a much more level tone, “he’s right. You don’t owe everything you have and everything you achieved to me. But you do owe me a Badge.”

Tobias’ face fell. “No… please…”

“And you can take off those damn scarves while you’re at it. Your Badges will be deactivated the moment we get back to Emerald Town. You two are no longer Treasure Hunters.”

The role of leader shifted to the Professor. Fortis seethed, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to overrule him. And even if he had been bold enough to try, would he? I’m not sure. I think the last thing anyone wanted was more anger.

We spent a long time in silence. No one had the heart to speak. But what was there say anyway?


	10. Thunder Hollow

_“Strong Pokémon. Weak Pokémon. That is only the selfish perception of people.” - Karen, Pokémon Gold, Silver, HeartGold & SoulSilver_

“I wish you hadn’t said that.”

Tobias and I were lagging behind. Harriet brought up the rear, at the Professor’s insistence, so we would be boxed in. So Forest Pokémon wouldn’t pick us off while his back was turned. And so we didn’t run away of our own accord. We kept our voices low.

“Said what?” I asked.

“To the Professor. I wish you had just left it.”

I frowned. “I was sticking up for you!”

“I didn’t _want_ you to do that, Alex,” he whispered. That’s not how _I_ wanted to deal with this. I know you’re a Treasure Hunter too… you _were_ a Treasure Hunter-”

“I wasn’t think about that, I was thinking about _you_.”

“Then please just… let me handle this my way. You don’t have to do anything.”

“Of course I do!” I breathed. “You’re my best friend!”

“I don’t _want_ you to do anything if you’re going to fight with him!”

“But he’s _wrong_!” I said out loud.

The Professor glanced back at us, shook his head. Tobias put a hand to his temple.

“If you want to fight him, fine, do whatever you want,” my partner hissed. “But at least admit you’re doing it for you. Because I don’t want this.”

The leaves rustled. Harriet edged us closer to the rest of the group.

“… Okay,” I said. “I’ll keep my cool. If that’s what’ll make you happy then fine. I’ll do anything.”

A small smile. “Thank you.”

Leaves scattered as a pair of pink-winged Yanmega zipped through the trees. Fortis’ swords repelled one of them, but the other was headed straight for Tobias’ neck. I didn’t even see this happening until Khan’s Fire Blast scorched her, and she fell in a charred heap to the ground.

“If I had been one second slower she would have killed you,” he said.

"That's convenient," Harriet said.

Khan just shook his head, irritated.

We had tried to explain exactly why we had all come here. He had held up his claw for silence, until we were somewhere sheltered.

He took us to a small hollow in the trunk of a dying redwood. It was quiet, covered, and secluded. The perfect place to bark orders at us.

“We’re turning around,” he said, decisively.

“We can’t turn around!” said Harriet. “Believe me if there was an alternative to me being here, I would have taken it! But there are _lives_ on the line-”

“There are,” he countered, “ _ours_.”

“And our lives are the only ones that matter, are they?” said Fortis. “My parents, Alex’s friends, the _king_ doesn’t matter at all to you?”

“Oho, he’s one hell of a king, isn’t he?” Khan retorted. “Sending in three _children_ to bail him out when his violent uprising gets him into trouble?!”

“I’m twenty-one!” said Harriet.

“And Alex and Tobias are kids. They're coming home with _me_.”

“Emerald Town isn’t my home, though,” I said. Tobias’ face dropped, and he went pale. “I mean, I just meant… There are Pokémon waiting for me out there. My friends, my family, my memories; this is my _life_ we're talking about!”

“You're not going to have a life if you're dead!”

The leaves rustled. Khan snapped his head around and raised his fins. Something disappeared into the trees. He slowly lowered his arms to his sides.

“Neither will the six innocent Pokémon trapped in this place,” I continued.

“I’d say you're playing it fast-and-loose with the word “innocent”, but I feel like I’m wasting my breath.”

“Then what does that make you if you let them die?”

Khan rubbed his forehead with the back of his claw. He sighed.

“I understand where you're coming from. No, don't give me that look; I _do_ understand, I've had a lot more life experience than you might think. But you and Tobias are innocent as well, and you don’t deserve an ending like this. I can't just stand idle while my students run away to die.”

“But I’m not your student anymore,” Tobias said, eyes on the ground, “am I?”

Ewan rubbed the pack of his paw, anxious. The poor guy was trapped in the middle of all of this, and he’d only known us for a day. Khan looked at him, but he had nothing to say.

“I don't like this,” the Professor said to us all, “ _any_ of this.”

He took a deep breath.

“But I’ll do what I cam here to do. I’ll protect you both. Even if it kills me.”

Tobias’ face was ghostly pale. I put my hand on his back.

“It won’t," I assured them both, "I won’t let that happen, to _any_ of you.”

“Well here’s hoping you get a say in the matter, Alex.”

The fog was still thick. We navigated without Tobias’ help. Several Pokémon got close to us but the Professor knocked them all out before anyone else could even summon an attack. He swiped a Ninjask out of the air with Brick Break, then kicked her in Fortis’ direction. The Blaziken stepped over her without a word.

“This trip’s mood went from “oh Dialga I’m gonna die” to “please Dialga let me die” _real_ fast,” said Harriet.

Fortis chuckled. The Professor glared at them both.

“At least we’re safer with you around,” I said, to no response.

And we were safer, until Ewan stepped into a snare trap. The ground sucked him in and soon his backpaws and tail had been swallowed by the earth.

“Help me!”

“Ewan!” Tobias cried. “There’s a root to your left! Grab onto it!”

Ewan clung for dear life. Tobias fired Brine. The soil turned to mud and Ewan was able to wriggle free. Fortis cut a Rubified white dammar branch free and shoved it down into the hole.

“It would be working on that for a while,” he said.

Ewan slumped to the ground. “Thank you.”

Tobias washed him off with a gentle Water Gun. Ewan shook, splattering muddy water on Fortis’ feathers and jacket.

“Oops,” he blushed, “sorry pal.”

“I’ll live. Do you have any idea what the was?”

“You don’t know?” I spoke before thinking.

“If I did I wouldn’t have asked.”

“It’s no fault of your own, Fortis,” said Ewan,“I’ve no idea what that was myself.”

He knew our real names now. There was no point in keeping up the pretence with him. He didn’t seem offended, or even surprised, really. But to everyone else, our names were Booster, Bruiser, Ketsuron, and Anne. We were Pokémon from all different walks of outside life who’d found each other by accident along the Barrier. None of us even knew the Treasure Hunter Academy existed.

Our scarves and Badges were locked away in the items bag. The Professor pried the logo off of the latch. It was still the Academy soft-brown, with white wings on the side, but it would have to do.

The Professor insisted on a fake name as well. We were barred from even talking _about_ him, at any point, to anyone. No one was ever to find out about this.

“Whatever it was, we should assume that they’ll be more of them,” said Rory Strickland, the Garchomp from Black Blizzard Desert. “Tobias, can you watch out for any faults in the ground?”

“Yes, Prof- Mr. Strickland,” Tobias said without emotion.

“You can call me Rory if you want.”

“I thought only your friends called you by your first name.”

We returned to silence.

We needed a place to rest, and it was getting dark. Ewan was friends with the leader of a large Pokémon swarm in this neck of the woods. It wasn’t a Sanctuary, but it was the next best thing. Their den was meant to be impenetrable. We would be hidden from sight and smell, and they usually had plenty of food to spare.

“I thought you said you weren’t strong enough to handle yourself,” said Fortis, “but it seems like you have more friends in Ruby Forest than most of us have on the outside.”

“I have a lot of good friends here but none of them are _outsiders_ , lad. Most of the greens you’ll find in here are… they’re a lot less friendly than you lot are. Most of the time,” he added quietly.

We came to a small clearning where the trees had been knocked down by the largest trunk I’d seen so far, bigger even than the giant redwoods. It was an orange meranti tree, overgrown and freakishly large. Forest writing had been drilled into its bark.

“What’s this place called?” Tobias asked.

“Thunder Hollow,” Ewan said. “It was carved out from one of the oldest trees in the Forest.”

“How many Pokémon are in there?” asked Khan.

“I’d say around thirty or so. But don’t worry, they’ll have plenty of food to spare, they always do.”

“They sound like hoarders,” said Fortis. “I hate hoarders.”

“I don’t think you’ll mind them so much when they give you the first proper meal you’ve had in days,” said Khan.

“Why don’t we find out?”

Ewan put hit mouth to the tip of one of the roots that, upon close inspection, had been hollowed out as a kind of whistle. We couldn’t hear anything from where we were, but someone inside must have.

A hidden entrance in the base of the tree opened. An orange Galvantula with purple eyes stood in the doorway.

“Ewan!”

“Hello, Marry! It’s good to see you again!”

“Same to you, of course.” They looked at us. “You’ve made some friends.”

“I was wondering if it would be too much trouble if the six of us could spend the night? I’m sorry to put you out, but we’ve really nowhere else to go.”

Their eyes were still on us. So many eyes. “I don’t think that would be a very good idea. We don’t need any more trouble at this particular moment.”

He held up his paws. “They’ll be as good as gold, won’t you lads?”

“Good as _gold_ ,” I repeated. “We’re known for it.”

Ewan gave his most charming smile. Marry sighed, stepped aside.

Thunder Hollow consisted of one enormous hallways, lit up a marigold by the sparks of the Pokémon inside. In the centre was a long dining board, around an inch high and maybe twenty metres long; in the corners at the other end were the beds, and a play area for the young ones; to our left was a med bay, to our right, a communal area. There a figure caught my eyes. Bipedal, with a single horn, and a flame at the tip of his tail.

“Who’s that Pokémon?” said Ewan.

“It’s…” Tobias began.

“Charmeleon,” I finished.

He sat propped up against the wall, apart from the other Pokémon, fiddling with an object in his hand. A tattered wood-brown bag was strapped around his shoulder.

“That’s Miloslav,” said Marry, “he’s been bunking here for a couple of days.”

“Is he from the outside?” said Tobias.

“Charmeleon aren’t native,” they said, “but he's been around forever. Not much of a conversationalist, though. Keeps to himself. Pretty cold for a fire-type, if you ask me. Do you know him?”

“I might,” I said.

Khan tried to hold me back but I ducked under his arm. The Joltik and Galvantula stared as I passed them by.

When I got closer I identified the object the Charmeleon was holding. A dagger. A fancy one, too, but old. _Really_ old. Then I noticed his tail and stopped in my tracks. It was pressed up against the wood, and the flame was dancing up the wall. No. It was moving _through_ the wall. But it left no mark, gave off no smoke, didn't even crackle. It was like a ghost.

He seemed impassive to everything around him; melancholic, even. He looked up as I approached, and his expression changed.

I introduced myself as Booster. He didn't stand, but we were almost eye-to-eye.

“Miloslav,” he said. He slipped the dagger into its sheath. It was old and cracked, grey-and-grey-blue. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen another one of us in the Forest.”

“First time for me,” I said, “we must be a rare breed.”

He chuckled. “Certainly around this stretch of the World, I suppose. What’s brought you here?”

“We’re looking for someone,” I said.

He waited.

“My friend’s parents. A Blaziken and an Ampharos.”

“An Ampharos?”

I started to describe what an Ampharos was. He raised his hand.

“I’m familiar. No, I’m afraid I haven’t seen them. I’m sorry I couldn’t be of any help.”

I hesitated a moment. He waited.

“Can I ask, where did you come from?”

“I’m form the Moonlake,” he said. “It’s in the sycamore region.”

“You were born here?”

“You sound disappointed.”

I had an answer for this already. “I was one of the only Charmander in Itori. My, er, Egg was given to someone as a gift.”

“Funny idea for a gift.”

“I know, right! Thing is, I have no idea who _left_ the Egg in the first place. I’m just trying to find some trace of where I came from.”

“Most Charmander live up north in the crownlands. You’ll want to try Grande City and the surrounding settlements. If not, there’s always the Charred Range up in the alps.”

“You know a lot about the outside world,” I said.

“You don’t, oddly enough.”

“I may or may not have a minor case of amnesia.”

_That_ got his attention.

“Amnesia?”

I opened my mouth to speak, then I stopped. I frowned. No. Something wasn’t right.

“It doesn't matter,” I said. “You were born in Ruby Forest, you probably don’t know me at all. Sorry to bother you.”

I turned around and left before he could say anything else. Just before I reached the others, I glanced over my shoulder. Miloslav watched me go.

Ewan sat with the leader of the swarm, up at the high end of the table, near the door. The rest of us were placed at the back end. Ewan gave us an apologetic look as he followed the largest of the Galvantula to his seat. He had to be courteous of our host, after all. The rest of us sat with the Joltik. They didn’t seem too happy about the eating arrangements either.

“I’ve never seen Pokémon like them before,” one of them muttered.

“Why did _we_ have to sit with them?” said another.

“That purple one looks like a predator,” said a third, looking straight at Khan.

“Do you think any of them eat Joltik?”

We had to sit awkwardly, bending over the table. A plank had been set so the Joltik could reach, so we had to lean over that, too. Fortis and Harriet sat crossed-legged across from each other. When I moved to sit across from Tobias, Khan cut in front of me and took my spot. One of the Joltik hoped onto the vacant seat.

I picked at the Bluk Berry in front of me.

“Don’t be shy,” said the Attaching Pokémon, “there’s plenty to go around.”

“I’ll bet there is,” said Fortis.

I stuffed half a Magost Berry in my mouth, immediately regretted it. The Joltik laughed.

“I can’t stand them either,” he said. He took out a small pouch and sprinkled some orange powder on an Aspear Berry.

He offered me some and I gratefully accepted it. I shoved the rest of the food in my mouth until I almost choked. The Joltik watched, barely concealing his amusement.

“You can laugh,” I said, wiping juice off my face, “you have no idea how hungry I was out there.”

“That’s your own fault for wandering into a dangerous place where you don’t belong,” he replied, but he said it with a smile, to show that he was joking.

“I don’t know why people keep saying things like that, nobody’s “wandering” into _Ruby Forest_ ; we’re all here for a reason.”

“Which is?”

“None of your business,” said Khan. “We don’t have to tell you anything.”

“You don’t, but you might want to be a bit more polite to the Pokémon bringing you your food.”

Khan said nothing. Fortis apologised for him, and the Garchomp almost popped a vein trying to hold back his irritation.

“You got a name?” the Joltik asked me.

I gave him my fake one.

“Joly,” he said, “future leader of the Hollow Swarm.”

Laughter up and down the table. Joly wasn’t fazed.

“That sounds like an Islander name,” I said.

“Okay but I don’t know what that is. Why would you assume I do?”

“Did you choose it yourself?” I asked.

He raised his chin. “I did. On my first birthday. It’s a statement.”

“For what?”

“For how he’s too weak to evolve,” said another Joltik.

“That’s funny,” said Joly, “because you don’t look like a Galvantula to me. Does he look like a Galvantula to you?”

“Nobody should be forced to evolve,” said Tobias, “you’re right not to listen to them.”

“Who asked you?” another Joltik spat.

“Joltik here aren't even allowed to _battle_ ,” Joly went on, ignoring them, “we’re allowed to train with each other but not with the Galvantula, we're allowed to cook but we’re not allowed to gather food, we’re not allowed to defend our home against predators, we’re not allowed to challenge leadership in any way. And if we don’t challenge it while we’re still Joltik no one can! Because if you’re a Galvantula you can’t say anything, can you? Because you’re not a Joltik anymore! _I’m_ going to change the way this whole swarm operates!”

“That’s pretty ambitious,” I said.

“I don’t see anyone else stepping up.”

We talked for the rest of the evening. Mostly he spoke about his ambitions for the swarm. He was the oldest of the Joltik and, despite what others said and likely believed, he told me he was by far experienced enough to evolve. But if the time came for a member to evolve and they came back from the Sangria Springs the same as they went in, the accepted believe was simple that that Pokémon wasn’t strong enough to evolve. Personal choice didn’t factor. When he was the one in charge that perception would change, that was his promise.

I told him our whole fabricated backstory, Khan-revised version, of course. We were wanderers from all over Itori, and our fearless leader was a wild Pokémon from a powerful Dungeon in the desertlands. We had all met each other on our own separate journeys and were now united by a common goal: finding Ketsuron’s parents.

“I can’t even imagine that kind of life,” Joly said, putting a tiny cube of apple in his mouth. “Being so far away from your home in the outside world. Sounds like a walking nightmare.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

“You’re buying into rumours,” said Fortis, “the outside world isn’t really like that.”

“Like what?” I asked.

“There’s a reason wanderers are treated with suspicion around here,” Joly said. “Don’t worry, though, I think you’re cool. You haven’t laughed in my face or called me a petulant child yet, so so far you’re one of the nicest Pokémon I’ve ever met.”

“We wouldn’t laugh at you if you didn’t act so bloody superior all the time,” one of the other Joltik said.

“I don’t even think this is about how they think about _us_ ,” said another, “I think you’re worrying about what everyone says about _you_.”

Joly snorted. “I could have evolved a long time ago, and not a single one of you would be laughing at me then. I could have taken on Dale _myself_ and _won_.”

“Then why don’t you?”

“Because we’re not allowed!”

“Why don’t you _evolve_ , he’s asking.”

“I’m not going to change my physical form based on another Pokémon’s standards,” he said, “and I hope that when I’m in charge no one else will have to either.”

“I don’t think I’m going to evolve wither,” I said.

“I’d want to evolve if I were you,” said another Joltik, “I’d love to have ghost powers.”

“That’s not- Charmeleon aren’t ghost-types.”

“Oh. Then why is he like that then?”

I looked over my shoulder. Miloslav was still sitting in the corner, eating alone. His flame had almost completely disappeared into the trunk.

“Charmeleon are pure fire-types,” I told her, “but when they evolve into Charizard they gain wings and the flying-type.”

“A fire-and-flying type,” she mused, “just like Fire.”

“Yes, a fire-type.”

“No, I mean the _Pokémon, Fire_. From the legend?”

I shook my head.

“There were these two giant birds,” said Joly, hijacking the conversation, “they called them Thunder and Fire. They battled for days and days, and eventually Thunder led Fire into the Forest where their attacks wouldn’t do any damage! Fire tried to escape but Thunder’s _Thunder_ attack struck them down and they hid in the rowan trees and Zapdos attacked them and made these _huge_ craters in the earth! That’s where the Living Bridges are. Apparently they were strong enough to damage _ground-type_ Pokémon.”

“Were they Legendaries?” I asked.

“Zapdos and Moltres,” Khan said, “he’s referring to Zapdos and Moltres.”

Moltres.

“Thunder might be the most powerful Pokémon there is,” said Joly. “And they're an _electric-type_ , how about that?”

“I bet they’re an _evolved_ electric-type, too,” said another Joltik.

“Zapdos is a single-set Pokémon,” I said, “they don’t evolve from or into any other form.”

Joly held their head up high. “Bit like me then.” The other scoffed, by he ignored them.

“I’ve got a question,” I said, “how do you know when you’re ready to evolve? I mean when you’re physically able to evolve.”

Joly bit down on a slice of powdered Oran Berry. “You ever been to an Evolution Spring?”

“Once. That I can remember.”

“Obviously you can’t evolve until you’re in an Evolution Spring, but when you get there…” Something in his voice changed then. “You feel it as soon as you see the light. It’s like… it’s like it _asks_ you.”

The Joltik went quiet. A few of the Galvantula on the other side were looking at us, but not with amusement. It seemed like Joly knew what he was talking about.

“You hear a voice?” I asked.

“No, not out loud, you kind of just… _feel_ it. The closest thing I can compare it to is like learning a new move, you know? And then you have a choice to make, whether to accept it or not. You answer it in your head, but you don’t _think_ the word, you… Ah, it’s too hard to explain. You’ll get it once you visit one again; you must be strong enough to evolve by now, right?”

“How do you figure?”

“I mean I hope you are!” he laughed. “Otherwise you are in _waaay_ out of your depths, friend.”

A high-pitched whistling sound. Two watchmon ran in, calling for reinforcements. Predators at the door. Mightyena. Twenty to twenty-five. The rest of the Galvantula hurried to the exit, following the swarm leader.

Ewan followed Marry to the play area where four purple-spotted orange Eggs were kept wrapped up in bundles of string. We followed the others outside.

A pack of maroon Mightyena stood in a half-circle around the entrance. The EleSpider Pokémon moved into a defensive position, haunches raised, sparks flying. The Joltik stayed inside. I could hear Joly yelling at the Galvantula protecting the entrance to let him out.

The tension was, pun intended, electric. Pokémon shuffled around anxiously, and some showed off their sharp teeth or flashes of their electric attacks. Thirty Galvantula. Twenty-eight Mightyena, ten Poochyena. Fourteen Joltik forced to stay inside.

All of them went quiet as the Charmeleon stepped between both armies.

“Don’t do this, Miloslav,” said the leader.

“They’re here for me,” said the Charmeleon, eyes locked on the Mightyena in front, “this is my fight, not yours. Take your Pokémon back inside.”

“They’ll kill you!”

“Maybe.”

I looked at Fortis. “What do we do?”

Fortis put a hand to his face. “That idiot’s walked us right into this.”

“He didn’t know,” I said, “he thought it would be safe for us here.”

“And he was wrong.”

The Mightyena were ready to pounce. The marigold light grew brighter.

“This is not your responsibility,” Miloslav said.

“Yes it is!” said one of the other Galvantula.

“This is our home!”

“They’re _our_ enemies too now!”

“You are under our protection,” said Dale, “this is our fight now as much as it is yours. So try not to take all the credit,” he added with a smile.

“I guess that goes for us too,” said Harriet, summoning her Steel Wings.

“Sounds preferable to waiting around for the pack to eat us alive,” Fortis said, lighting up his swords.

“And the Joltik,” I added, looking over my shoulder. Joly was still yelling.

The Mightyena leader tensed up, ready to spring. Dale fired Electro Ball. It missed. The Mightyena leapt at him, then grabbed him by the throat and snapped his neck.

The Galvantula were stunned for a brief moment, and in that moment the pack attacked. I was still staring at Dale’s still body when one of the Mightyena Bit me on the shoulder. I used Metal Claw to pull him free, stumbled backwards. He jumped at me, I trapped him in mid-air with Fire Spin. Vicious, blood-shot eyes looked down at me. I raised my Claws again.

Fortis’ swords cut one of the Mightyena across the chest. She Crunched down on his arm, he kneed her in the stomach, span and Blaze Kicked her into one of her comrades.

“Be careful!” he yelled. “These Mightyena have the Moxie ability, they get stronger the more of us they take down!”

One of the Poochyena Tackled a Galvantula in the side. She countered with Fury Cutter. He Bit into her leg, making her scream. Tobias hit him with Rapid Spin. He Bit in in the cheek, another Bit him in the tail. He struggled and fell, with the two Bite Pokémon climbing on top of him.

I ran towards him him but the Mightyena broke free and hurled himself down at me. I jabbed him in the chest with Metal Claw. He Crunched down on my arm and shook violently. I jabbed him in the eye; he pulled away and rammed into me with Take Down. He pinned me to the ground. I tried to summon a fire attack but he put both forepaws over my mouth. His fangs glowed purple.

Signal Beam hit him between the eyes. I hit him with Flamethrower close-range, shoved him to the floor.

Sparks flew from Joly’s fur. “Are you okay?” he asked.

“How didyou get out?” I asked as I got to my feet.

“I waited until they were distracted and I slipped past them. They didn’t even see me! Just one of the many advantages to being three inches point five!”

I was looking the other way. Joly followed my eyes. The sparks died.

“… Dale? Why isn’t he moving? They've knocked him out all ready?” He looked to me. “What happened? I didn’t see? What…?”

He ran to Dale’s side. He nudged him with his foot.

“Dale? What’s happened? Dale? Dale! Wake up!”

Dale didn’t wake up.

“No…”

We stood in the eye of chaos. Tobias soaked both Poochyena with Brine. Then a Mightyena leapt on top of him, forcing him to retreat into his shell. I tried to reach him but another one blocked my way. A third targeted Joly. Thunder struck him down in less than a second.

I blew smoke in my opponent’s face and while they were blinded, I ran. Tobias’ enemy had stuck her face inside his shell. Khan hit her across the back with Brick Break and she slumped to the ground. Three Mightyena jumped on him at once.

The Booster Badge glowed.

No. Not now.

A Poochyena Howled at me. One of the Galvantula hit her with Electro Ball. Another one dodged Tobias’ Ice Beam and threw sand in his face. Joly’s Signal Beam hit her between the eyes and Electro Ball finished the job.

Khan growled in frustration as one of the Mightyena bit him in the leg. Another headbutted him in the stomach, a Take Down attack. A third wrapped her forelegs around his neck and chewed on his horn. A third

“Stop them!” Tobias cried.

Brick Break clocked one Mightyena across the jaw, Fire Blast knocked out a second one, he dropped, crushed the third beneath him, then rolled backwards and jumped to his feet. A fourth Mightyena charged at him, he roundhouse-kicked her in the face.

“I think he’s fine,” I said. “Wash your eyes out, they’re still coming.”

Joly appeared by my side and we stood back-to-back-to-back. Three Mightyena hemmed us in. Joly raised his haunches.

“Duck.”

We covered our heads and Joly used his Electroweb like a whip, snatching up one after the other and tying them together.

“Finish them!”

I hit them all with Flamethrower, Tobias followed with Brine.

Harriet tossed one of the Mightyena across the field, where Joly’s Thunder knocked him unconscious. Another one threw sand in her face then grabbed her by the trident and dragged her to the floor, where she easily could get to her neck.

Then a ball of ghostly fire rose up from the ground and consumed her, head-to-tail. Her eyes went wide and lilac-coloured smoke rose from her mouth. She fell silently to the ground.

Four different Mightyena attacked Miloslav at once. One of them was their leader. His attacks weren’t like regular fire-types attacks; they looked more like a kind of purple haze than real flames. The fire at the end of his tail had a life of its own, striking out at anyone trying to sneak behind him.

I blocked Crunch with Metal Claw. Signal Beam finished the job. Tobias prepared a Brine attack. A Poochyena grabbed him by the arm and shook. He yanked his hand away but she knocked him to the floor with Take Down. A Galvantula’s Signal Beam struck her and she fell to the ground. Tobias went into his shell and didn’t come back out again.

The Items Bag glowed gold. A Reviver Seed. And something else I could definitely use.

Then there was a flash of pink and the light died. I tried to reach inside but a pink spark shocked my hand. Pink diamonds revolved in a circle around the bag.

A Mightyena snatched Joly up in his mouth. Thunder fried him from the inside.

Another one Tackled me to the ground. I raised my Claws but I could only scratched at as she bit down on my throat and shook.

“The sword!” I heard Harriet call. “Use the sword!”

Oh right. The sword.

I pulled it free of its sheath and slashed her across the leg. She yelped and pulled away, I cut her across the shoulder.

Joly’s Thunder tore across the ground, striking another Mightyena who was digging his claws into a Galvantula’s side. Another Mightyena tried to grab him in his mouth; he slipped under him, trapped him in an Electro Web.

Another Mightyena hit me with Take Down. I used Flamethrower, she dodged, kicked me in the side. I gasped and put my hands to my ribs. The Mightyena laughed. Thunder struck her down.

“Go protect your friend,” said Joly, before firing a Signal Beam at an approaching Poochyena.

I ran to Tobias’ side. The diamonds were shrinking to nothing.

“Come on come on come _on_!”

The diamonds disappeared. Eyes flashed pink and they returned.

“Oh come on!”

The Mightyena came running. Electro Web tied his legs together.

“Ketsuron!” I called.

Fortis came running. A Poochyena jumped at him, Sky Uppercut knocked her to the ground. He picked Tobias up in his arms and carried him back to the trunk. Ewan took him and carried him to the med bay.

The diamonds revolved. Turn one: check.

Miloslav’s ghostly Fire Pledge cut through the Mightyena; they broke apart then reformed in a circle around him. Turn two.

Miloslav turned to shadow. The Bite Pokémon shifted and pawed at the ground, confused. Purple haze or purple fire rose from the ground he stabbed the leader in the stomach. Turn three.

Miloslav cloaked himself in purple fire and spread his arms and a wave of flame hit them. One charged through and hit him with Take Down. Two more attacked with Assurance. Turn four.

Four tombstone-like rocks rose from the ground and crashed over their heads. His body glowed six different colours. The leader tossed the stone aside and Crunch down on his throat. Turn five.

The diamonds faded. The Reviver Seed glowed. I grabbed a Blast Seed out of the bag and tossed it. The blast triggered an explosion of purple haze or purple fire that consumed the entire pack.

Smoke rose from the leader’s mouth and she slumped to the ground. Miloslav rubbed his neck, then wiped the blood off on his bag.

The battle had died in an instant. The few pack Pokémon who could walk dragged themselves to stand protectively over their leader. Her eyes were glossed over, unblinking.

“I will give you one warning,” Miloslav said in an echoing voice. “ _Leave._ ”

One of the Poochyena charged at him, crying vengeance. A Galvantula’s Thunder Wave froze him to the spot.

“Retreat!” cried another the Mightyena. “Protect your leader! Those of you who are strong enough will carry the injured on your back!”

They bent down so their leader could be lifted onto their back. She was still limp.

“Did you kill her?” one of the Galvantula whispered.

“That is deeply offensive to me,” said the Charmeleon. “She is merely unconscious.”

The Bite Pokémon limped away. One of the Galvantula ran after them, sparks flying. Miloslav raised a stone from the earth in front of them to block their way.

“They are leaving,” he said, “you don’t need to chase them away.”

“We’re going to let them live after they tried to kill us all!” the Galvantula spat.

“You are a hunter, too, Kostas. How would you feel if you or a loved one was struck down with their back turned?”

“This wasn’t a _hunt_!” another exclaimed. She was resting her head against Dale’s, one leg around his back.

Miloslav closed his eyes. “I tried to warn you.”

He went back into the den.

I woke up to sparks crackling and feet tapping on wood. I was staring up at the ceiling, completely still.

A Galvantula poked me in the neck. I shuddered and my body was moving again.

“Thank you,” I croaked.

Khan was helping to prepare food. Fortis was sharpening his swords. Harriet was snoring. Tobias was still asleep inside his shell. Ewan was comforting the Galvantula who had held Dale when he died.

Miloslav was tending to Pokémon in the med bay. There were bags under his eyes and his tailfire was low, but at no point did I see him even stop to catch his breath.

“Can I help in any way?” I asked.

“I’m just doing my morning check-ups,” he said, gently turning a patient onto her back. “That was smart, using the Blast Seed like that. I confess even I had never thought of utilising it in such a way.”

I blushed. “Aha, it was nothing. You’re the one who won the battle.”

“True.” He felt along his patient’s ribcage, looked satisfied, turned her back over. He moved on to the next one.

He stuck his hands into a pail of water. I cringed. He washed the paste off a Galvantula’s head wound, dried his hands, and applied a fresh coat. I turned to go.

“Wait there.”

He washed the paste off and reached into his bag.

“Take this with you.”

He tossed something at me. It was a sharp, white fang, tied with black string. Unmistakable. A Chariz-Fang.

My jaw dropped. “I can't accept this!”

“Yes you can. You’re simply being conscientious. You can consider it your reward for helping me end the fight.”

“Where did you get it from?”

“I happened to have it on me.”

“You didn't get it from…”

“My birth parents? No, I did not. I never even knew them. I found in lying on the floor in the oak region. I imagine an outsider must have brought it with them. You may as well take it. Keep it as a reminder.”

“A reminder of what?”

Another Galvantula groaned in pain. Miloslav was at his side in an instant. He didn’t give me an answer.

We ate breakfast with the swarm. The seat across from me was empty.

“We’ll be leaving once we’ve all eaten,” said Fortis, “say your goodbyes now while you still can.”

Khan didn’t react at all. I don’t even believe he was pretending not to care about Fortis still giving us instructions. I believe he didn’t think anything about it at all.

“Do you know where Joly is?” I asked the room.

“She’s outside, training,” said the Joltik to my right.

“I said _Joly_.”

“Yeah, she’s outside, training,” the Joltik said forcefully. Moltres, was he really _that_ unappreciated?

I went outside and saw the flash of Thunder tearing across the grass, on the northern side side of Thunder Hollow, where a huge patch of blackened earth had been fried into the ground.

“Moltres…” I said.

The Joltik’s face dropped. “My name’s Joly.”

“I know, I know! That’s just-”

Joly laughed. “I’m kidding. Lighten up.” Joly gave off a small electric flash.

“I don’t know who you stand the Pokémon in there,” I said. “You know that Joltik you sit right across from? He called you _“she”_ , can you believe that?”

Joly shrugged. “Some know by either, or by both. I’m really not bothered by what _pronoun_ they call me by. It’s everything _else_ they call me that’s the problem.”

Another Thunder strike.

“I don’t know how you still have so much energy,” I said.

“Power of ritual, I guess. I train an hour every morning before breakfast. That’s when you really have to push yourself, you know? It’s good for the spirit.”

She jumped, attacked again, landed.

“All right,” he sighed. “Out of charge. Time for food,”

“You must be more powerful than most of the Galvantula here,” I said.

She gave me a small smile. “It won’t matter. Joltik aren’t really thought about in terms of “strength”. It’s more “potential” for how strong they’ll be once they finally evolve. But I’m…” She shook her head. “I’ve said this all before, haven’t I?”

“What’s going to happen now?” I asked.

“They’ll probably give Dale’s wife and kids a week or so to grieve. Then the strongest Galvantula will battle to decide who’ll be next to lead.”

“But you’re going to battle too, right?”

Joly stood up tall. “I am. And if anyone tries to stop me, I’ll fight them too. This is the only chance I’m going to get in a very long time. I hope.”

“I’ll be rooting for you.”

“Don’t need it, but I appreciate it.”

I smiled. “You’re going to make a great leader. I can tell.”

She smiled back. “Well, I’m sure you’re going to make an excellent explorer. Or failing that, a very handsome cadaver.”

“Ouch.”

Perhaps on instinct, held out my hand. She gave me a hug. I didn’t dare shake her.

“Hey,” she glanced at my chest. “Is that Miloslav’s Fang?”

“Oh, yeah, he gave it to me. He told me to keep it as a reminder.”

“Of what?”

I shrugged. “Of you guys, I guess.”

“You’d better!” she said. “I mean, who could forget a handsome face like this?”

“I’ll remember you,” I said. “That’s a promise.”


	11. The Forest Fires

_“If somewhere in this world there is someone who understands you, it feels like that person is right beside you, even if you’re as far apart as the end of the land and the top of the sky.” - Giallo of the Seven Sages of Team Plasma, Pokémon Black and White_

I promised them I could keep going.

My shoulders were sagging and my eyelids were heavy. The Chariz-Fang bumped against my chest with every sluggish step, and I was yawning so much it was irritating everyone else. Even Fortis was more subdued. More melancholy. But that didn’t stop him from trying to assert himself in front of Khan.

“Left.”

Khan looked back at him. We were at a fork in the road. He was ahead of everyone else.

“There’s damage along that path,” said Fortis, nodding to the right, “that means wild Pokémon.”

Khan raised his nose to the wind, turned his head left. “There’s honey that way. That means a trap; no one leaves food lying around in a place like this.”

“I can’t smell anything.”

“How much can you smell through a beak?”

Irritated, Fortis looked to Ewan for support. Ewan looked like he wished he was back in the sinkhole.

“We’re going left,” said Fortis, going left.

“We’re not going left,” said Khan, not going left.

“You may be the veteran explorer here, _Professor_ , but you do _not_ know Ruby Forest as well as _I_ do.”

“I never claimed to, I merely claimed to have a better sense of smell than you.”

“You need to develop a proper sense of knowing what the hell you’re-”

_BOOM._

We span around. Something off to our right was giving off smoke.

“Stay here,” said Khan. He shot off through the trees, through overgrown bushes and over fallen branches. He made absolutely no sound at all.

Tobias ran after him. Fortis raced ahead, lighting-fast, and grabbed him by the arm.

“Let me _go_!”

“You cannot just run off into the woods alone! You’re going to get yourself _killed_!”

“Fortis, stop!” said Harriet.

Fortis’ claws were digging into Tobias arm. He eased his grip and Tobias took off. I followed him. The others had no choice but to go with me.

“What is _wrong_ with him?!” said Fortis. “He drags us around like children then _bolts_ at the first opportunity! Why is he running _towards_ the danger?!”

“We won’t know until we catch up to him!” said Harriet. “Dialga could you slow down a little?”

There was a huge, dark shape just ahead of us, tall enough to reach the treetops, and almost as wide. Then we saw it was moving. Then we saw it was an amalgamation of several moving shapes, blending together into one.

We faced a thick wall of flapping black wings. It was a massive colony of Noivern and Noibat, black and-mulberry, with pink manes and bright-red, ringed ears. It took us a few moments to see who they were circling around. As soon as we did, Tobias and Ewan cried out in horror.

“I’m so done with this place,” said Harriet.

Over ten feet tall, teeth large enough to spear a Charmander, wings tucked in to fit between the trees, shaking the earth with every step. Another one. A Giant Noivern.

The wild colony faced a mixed bag of Ruby Pokémon: a pink Meowstic, a black-and-purple Luxray, a grey-red Staraptor, a eggplant-coloured Heracross, and an orange Stantler. And now, fighting alongside them, was Khan.

“What is he _doing_?” Fortis said to no one in particular.

“I know that Pokémon,” said Ewan. “Her name is Flaviana. People call her the Colossus. That would be her colony. But I have no idea who the other five are!”

Flaviana used Dragon Claw. Khan blocked with both fins, was thrown back, landed on the trunk of an elm tree, launched himself into the air, and struck her across the face with Brick Break.

The Luxray hit her in the shoulder with Iron Tail, she smacked him away with her wing. He shrouded himself in a ball of electricity and suddenly the Staraptor was in his place, Steel Wings at the ready. She parried with Dragon Claw, slashed at him, grazed him across the chest. The Heracross’ Bug Buzz rang in her ear. The Stantler’s Hyper Beam hit her under the chin. Flaviana spread her wings wide and a spiral of wind picked up the leaves and the dirt in front of her. Hurricane threw the Stantler into the air. One of the regular-sized Noivern grabbed the Heracross by the horn.

The Meowstic was glowing red, paws raised. Roots were blocking the rest of the colony off from the fight.

Eight Noivern. Twelve Noibat. Eleven of us.

One of the Noivern raised her wings, and a whirlwind whipped up around her. I hit her with a Flamethrower. She stood and took the full brunt of the attack. She fired Razor Wind and cut me across the face. I hissed and put a hand to my eye.

The Booster Badge glowed.

“No!” I said out loud. “Not now!”

Another Noivern dived at Tobias but he struck him out of the sky with Ice Beam. He had less than a second to congratulate himself before Noibat’s Absorb beam sapped his energy.

Fortis raised his stats with Bulk Up. Ewan’s Helping Hand powered up his attacks even further. He pushed off a tree trunk and struck a Noivern down with his swords. He landed and blocked a Dragon Pulse with the flat of their blades. Energy flared around a Noibat's face and twisted it into a square-jawed, scaled creature, and she hit him with Dragon Breath, paralysing him.

Drill Peck caught a Noivern in the chest. A Noibat bit her in the neck with Super Fang.

Ewan was hit by Supersonic. Still he kept his paws in the air. One of the Noivern hit him with Air Slash. He raised a Protect bubble. The Sound Wave Pokémon landed on top of it and beat down on the bubble with her wings until it popped, and she was on top of him.

I tried to get close enough to use my Claws. She kicked me in the chest and I raised them just in time to block a Wing Attack. I pushed her away but she lunged forward and blocked Metal Claw with one wing and cut up under my chin with the other. I was close. I hit with her Flamethrower, and she away from me, screeching. When we faced each other down, I could see the burn marks covering her skin.

She folded her wings over her chest. There was a gentle wind, and I saw the marks faded. Roost restored her health.

“Oh, that’s just cheating!”

Tobias landed another Ice Beam. Super Fang got him in the arm. It didn’t seem to do much damage. That was a bad sign.

I tried to buy time by trapping my opponent in another Fire Spin. I’d gotten six steps before I was hit in the back with Air Slash. A critical hit. Everything went black for half a second. Then a veil of golden light surrounded me, and suddenly I was fully healed.

Four down.

Whirlwind hurled Ewan into a tree. He fell to the ground, but he forced himself back onto his feet. Gust pushed him back against the hard trunk. He looked ready to pass out. We couldn’t afford to lose another one.

Tobias hit the Noibat with Ice Beam, knocking her out. Another one increased their speed with Agility, darting around him, blocking his vision.

My opponent grabbed me by the tail and slammed me into a tree. Her wing became a long, slender hand as she summoned Dragon Claw; I parried with Metal Claw, she swiped, I dodged, she kicked me in the ribs. I used Flamethrower. She recoiled and flapped away, landing in a mulberry tree branch. Roost restored her health.

“I can do this all day,” she said. “How long have you got?”

Not long. She summoned a Hurricane, and before the wind could lift me I ran and hid behind one of the trees. She swooped down to search for me. She circled around the trunk and I blew smoke in her face. I ran. I tripped on a root. Dragon Claw stabbed me in the side and threw me up into the air. Wing Attack slammed me back down onto the floor.

Behind me, the Giant Pokémon blocked the Meowstic’s Dark Pulse with her wings. The Heracross grabbed the smaller Noivern by the wrist and tossed him at her. She was blind for a moment and the Stantler’s Zen Headbutt hit her im the stomach. She slashed at both of them with Dragon Claw. The Luxray jumped into the air and charged an electric attack. Then he was gone in a flash and the Staraptor was headed straight towards her; Brave Bird sent a stream of blue energy from the tip of his beak to the feathers on his tail. Pink-and-yellow light swirled around Khan’s body as he charged with Giga Impact. Then something new happened; with every step red light shone through the ground, and when he jumped into the air the light surrounded him and turned everything orange-and-red. It rammed into the Giant’s stomach with an incredible force.

Flaviana recoiled, clutching her stomach. Then she raised her wings and threw her head back and screeched.

Khan turned to us. “Run!” he yelled at the top of his voice. “Get out of here!”

But, of course, he couldn’t chase after us. Giga Impact drains a Pokémon’s energy.

The Meowstic raised her Protect bubble over his head and the four others gathered inside. Ewan raised his own and we huddled up next to him. It just about stretched wide enough to cover us all. But it was stretched thin.

“What’s happening?!” Harriet called.

“She's preparing an attack…” Ewan began.

“It’s Boomburst!” Fortis finished.

Flaviana cried a terrifying cry. Waves of purple energy made the Forest tremble. The first one broke Ewan’s bubble and knocked us off our feet. The Meowstic’s held. The second one pinned us to the ground. I think we were screaming. It’s impossible to tell over the sound waves.

The Noibat and Noivern were in the way as well, but the attack simply passed over them. It shook them, dazed them for a moment, but it didn’t hurt them at all. That was their ability, Ewan informed us: Telepathy.

The Meowstic’s bubble was down. The six Pokémon stood close together, and held strong. But their defences were gone.

The third wave came. I clung desperately onto consciousness, I was going to save that last Reviver Seed until the final moment. The Noivern and Noibat saw their chance and went for us. Ewan made another desperate attempt to shield us; if nothing else, it gave us a few more seconds to recover. A Noibat broke through the bubble and Tackled him. He collapsed. The Reviver Seed in my bag glowed, then stopped. Ewan still wasn’t moving. He had _rejected_ it. Fortis dropped down and kneeled over him, blades raised.

The six Pokémon were shaking. They had taken a real hit. But they were still standing.

Flaviana’s chest glowed orange. She fired a ball of energy into the air. It exploded into a meteor shower and rained down on the six Pokémon. By the time the smoke had cleared, they’d disappeared.

Tobias pushed himself up. “Professor!”

A Noivern landed on him. Hydro Cannon knocked him out, then another two dropped down on Harriet.

“Professor…”

Flaviana looked all around. For a moment, there was nothing.

Then red roots rose up and clamped down on Flaviana’s ankle. She bent a mulberry tree out of the way with her foot and there was the Meowstic, paws on the ground, glowing the same red hue. Flaviana summoned a Hurricane, but the Luxray used Volt Switch and took the hit for her. The Meowstic summoned more roots and the other leg was snatched back towards the ground.

“Now, Bucky!” the Luxray called.

The Stantler’s yellow horns flashed. The Noivern’s and the Noibat’s eyes turned white, and they stumbled, or fell, or turned in frantic circles. Some were pawing at the ground or the trees or at each other.

“Now fire!” Khan cried. “All at once!”

The six Pokémon combined their attacks: Psybeam, Thunderbolt, Brave Bird, Mega Horn, Hyper Beam, Giga Impact.

We followed suit ducked beneath the confused Sound Wave Pokémon and added our own: Flamethrower, Ice Beam, Blaze Kick, Hydro Cannon, Quick Attack. Flaviana collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Wind whipped up around us. Purple light surrounded her and her colony. Before anyone could stop them, they disappeared, leaving nothing but leaves in the air and whistling in our ears.

Ewan forced himself up. Fortis bent down and offered him an Oran Berry, which he gratefully accepted.

The Meowstic walked up to Khan.

He swallowed.

She reached up and touched his face.

“You’re really here…”

Khan dropped down and they hugged each other tight. There were tears in his eyes. The other Pokémon jumped on him, laughing.

“I don’t think any of us were expecting that,” said Harriet.

Fortis sheathed his swords. He made to approach them but Ewan help up his paw.

“Maybe we should give them some privacy,” he said.

Fortis stepped over him and kept walking.

“Okay…”

“Do you want to explain to us exactly what’s going on here?” Fortis demanded of the six Pokémon.

They all ignored him.

“What are you doing here?” the Meowstic asked Khan.

He laughed. “Oh, I wish I knew.”

“Not to be dismissive of the occasion,” said the Luxray, “but if we laze around here any longer we’ll meet with trouble again. The Fire House isn’t far from here.”

Khan chucked. “I remember where it is.”

“Who the hell are you?!” Fortis snapped. “How do you know these Pokémon, Khan?”

“Who’s Khan?” said the Heracross.

“That’s… We’re in a compromised position here,” the Garchomp said, weakly, “we should-”

“I think you’re the only one in a compromised position right now, friend,” said Fortis.

“I’d like to add my voice to that,” said Harriet. “You made it a _real_ headache to sneak those two of our Emerald Town the other day, but you never mentioned anything about actually being a Forest Pokémon _yourself_.”

Tobias was in shock. Ewan shuffled his feet, eyes fixed on the ground.

The Luxray was facing the trees. His eyes glowed a burning gold.

“You _have_ been a real headache,” said Fortis. “The fake names, the secrets, _yelling_ at Tobias and Alex like that. What exactly were you trying to hide?”

The Garchomp bristled. “I don’t owe you an explanation for anything, _Ketsuron_.”

“What about your students? Do you think there’s a slight possibility you owe them one, _Khan_?”

The Garchomp looked at Tobias. My partner said nothing.

The Garchomp took a deep breath.

“This was my home,” he said, “a long time ago. I went by the name “Dracen”. I changed it after leaving Ruby Forest so no one would find out who I was. I didn’t tell you for your own safety.”

Tobias and I stood there, stunned. Ewan rubbed the back of his paw, stayed silent. Fortis and Harriet turned to each other, then burst out laughing.

“Can you _believe_ this?” he said.

“Dialga, we were _scared_ of this guy!” she said. “You should have seen your _face_ when he caught us!”

“I thought he was going got tell Lord Finley! I was actually _worried_ for a moment!”

“Oh, he’s got nothing on you now, honey!”

“That’s enough, leave him alone!” said the Stantler. “You have no idea what he’s been through!”

“What right do you have to pry into his past?” said the Meowstic.

“I’m sorry to interrupt-” the Luxray began, before he was interrupted.

“What I want to “pry into” is why he took Tobias’ Badge away from him for a rule he broke himself!” I said.

“That is _not_ a fair comparison,” said Khan.

The Luxray tried again. “May I have everyone’s attention-”

“You exiled him over this!”

“I was trying to keep you both _safe_!”

“Hostile Pokémon around the parameter!” the Luxray called. “Everyone retreat to the Fire House immediately!”

He led the way back through the trees. The five strangers made absolutely no sound at all. Khan ran alongside him, acting as his guide when he looked back through the woods at whoever was following us.

“They’re close,” he said.

The Meowstic's eyes glowed pink. The leaves rustled and a pink Ralts was dragged from hiding. He immediately Teleported away.

“Orbeetle to our left.”

The Staraptor veered through the trees to search for them.

“Meditite!” Harriet yelled. “To the right!”

Fortis tossed his sword. It missed the Meditate Pokémon by an inch.

I heard something rustling in the trees behind me. I risked a glance and saw an orange Stantler, but different to the one beside me. This one had two black dots and a single thin line for a mouth. As soon as he saw me looking, he was gone.

He reappeared as a Ninjask a few feet to our left, the distinctive indistinctive face giving him away. The Heracross used Mega Horn. The Ninjask disappeared and she banged her horn against a tree trunk.

“It’s a Ditto!” I said. “They’re all the same Pokémon!”

The Ninjask was gone. A Whirlipede rolled over the ground to our right.

“Combined fire!” said the Luxray. “Wide range!”

The Ditto became a Cutiefly and ducked behind a tree. The Stantler chased after him, skidded to a halt around the other side of a burny vine.

“He’s gone.”

We waited, but he didn’t reappear. At least not anywhere we could see.

“Not picking up anything?” asked the Meowstic.

“No,” said the Luxray, eyes still glowing as he turned his a circle, “but that doesn’t mean much if we’re facing an opponent that can change their form.”

“Whatever they’ve changed into they won’t be able to break into the Fire House. We’ll be there in ten minutes.” She looked to us. “There’s room enough for all of us in there. If Dracen trusts you, that is.”

“Dracen” looked at Fortis, looked at me, looked at Tobias.

“They’re safe,” he said. “I trust them.”

I shivered.

“Are you all right?” Khan said without looking at me.

“I’m fine,” I said curtly, “I’m just tired.”

“Stay on alert,” said Roy, “we’re crossing into the oak region. There may be enemies along the parameter.”

“We’re not far from the house,” Eliza assured us, “we should manage another five minutes without a fight.”

The Fire House was a small mound covered in the leaves, branches, and brambles of the surrounding plantlife. The Meowstic’s eyes flashed and a secret entrance opened in front of her. She span around and held up a paw; the Morelull’s Sleep Powder slid harmlessly off the Protect bubble. The Luxray fired a Thunderbolt wide and the Illuminating Pokémon yipped and hid himself in the branches.

“Was he one of the Podzolisers?” said the Stantler.

Meowstic sighed. “I can’t keep track anymore.”

We crowded into the hovel’s main room. It was just about big enough for all eleven of us. Plantlife had been manipulated into walls and into furniture. There was the living room, a kitchen consisting of a stone pot and a chest full of herbs, and a bedroom. The Heracross placed her hand against the wall and a small window appeared.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” said Harriet.

“We can see out but they can’t see in,” she explained, “and we close them when we leave so the light doesn’t make the plants grow funny.”

“Yeah, Dialga forbid the plants grow funny.”

“If you want to sit on a punch of long, thick, upturned roots, you can do it in your own time.”

“That sounds terrible for your posture.”

“Mm, but it's good for your lower back strength.”

Khan took a seat.  Not on the roots.

All eyes were still on him.

“I came to Ruby Forest after my home was destroyed,” he said. “I was only a Gible at the time. A _kid_. These guys are the first friend I’d had in… a long time.”

“You saved my life when we first met,” said the Stantler.

“And mine, don’t forget!” said the Heracross.

“I should introduce you: this is Bucky,” the Stantler, “Roy”, the Luxray, “Striker,” the Staraptor, “Eliza,” the Heracross, “and Alana,” the Meowstic.

My partner finally spoke up. “My name’s Tobias.”

We all told them our real names. Professor Buckeye trusted me, so Tobias did too; and no matter how pissed off we were, we couldn’t deny he was now probably our best chance of getting out of here alive.

“When I realised how _sick_ this place was with violence, when we almost lost Roy to a desperate pack of predator Pokémon, we decided we’d be the ones to change it. We became vigilantes. We called ourselves the Forest Fires.”

“We still call ourselves that,” said Alana.

“Why did you leave?” I asked.

“Because the Pokémon in here want me dead. That may sound like a generalisation, but any Ruby Pokémon who knows my name barring those of us in this house believe that I’m a deadly threat. I had to leave to protect my friends. That’s also why I changed my name.”

“Is this where “Buckeye” came from?” asked Tobias.

Bucky looked up. “What? You named yourself-”

“That’s not important right now,” Khan interrupted, flustered. He shifted to face Tobias, leaned forward. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the truth. I couldn’t risk putting more lives in danger because of my actions. If those Pokémon figured out you had some connection to me, I can’t tell you what might have happened to you. That’s why I was so harsh on you when I found you, I was _terrified_ for you!”

Tobias didn’t say anything.

“… I shouldn’t have been so outraged. I suppose that was hypocritical. You know, I was around your age when I first came here.”

“Does that mean we get our Badges back?” I said.

He gave me a pained look. “I can’t change the Academy’s rules. I just can’t.”

‘Yeah, I get it,” I said. “If only we knew someone with the authority to do that.”

“You do,” he said, “but unfortunately, Alex, that Pokémon is not you.”

Fortis sighed. There were tears all over his jacket, and one of the sleeves was about to fall off. He opened up his sewing kit and held the needle between his large claws. He tried to pierce the fabric, went wide.

“You’re tired,” said Harriet, “don’t worry about the jacket right now.”

“I need this for protection.”

“We’re protected for now. You can worry about the jacket tomorrow. It’ll go a lot smoother if your hands aren’t shaking.”

Fortis scowled and replaced the sewing kit in this bag. He straightened out the jacket and ran his fingers over the black burn mark. Some of it had already fallen away.

“You know what you should do?” Harriet said. “Dye the rest of it black so it matches the burn mark. Or set it on fire, that could work too.”

“For camouflage?”

“Yeah that and because it looks ugly.”

“It’s _armour_ , Harriet, it doesn’t matter how it _looks_.”

“Is that why you added those useless spikes that don’t actually protect you and just make the jacket heavier?”

“… Everyone else had them, I was only trying to stay in uniform.”

“What about Dustin?”

“Making armour for Muk is extremely difficult, for me it was a very simple task.”

“Then why were you the only one without a mask?”

He folded the jacket back up and placed it on top of his bag. Harriet waited.

“It looked more like a thong than anything else.”

“Yeah, there you go.”

“It wasn't even a _mask_! A mask is supposed to go _over_ your face!”

“I wouldn’t want a thong over my face either.”

“Might be an improvement,” he muttered, picking up his sword and whetstone.

Harriet gaped. “Is that a joke? Did you actually just make a joke?”

“More of an observation than anything else.”

“I _will_ drown you again.”

He pointed his sword at her. “If I’m dying at any point during this mission you have been dead for a long time already.”

“Or we could try not dying at all,” said Khan.

Fortis and Harriet rolled their eyes at each other.

Tobias and I counted the items in our bag. Four Oran Berries. Three Iron Thorns. Two Apples. And most importantly, one Reviver Seed.

“Do you think this’ll last us the rest of the way?” asked Tobias.

“Where exactly was your original destination?” asked Roy.

“I’m going to the swamp oaks to find my parents,” Fortis said, not looking up from his jacket, “the other three are headed to the Pillar.”

The room went cold. The Forest Fires immediately looked to “Dracen” for answers. Those of us who actually knew what we were doing explained it to them.

“And why does it have to be him?” asked Alana. “No offence.”

“Alex has a unique power, Harriet tells us,” said Fortis. “He can transfer the power of the Booster Badge to other Pokémon. If we can get him to the Pillar, we can use that power to free his friends.”

Striker flipped open my items bag and peered inside, where the Booster Badge was being kept hidden.

“Doesn’t look like much to me.”

I fastened the bag and held it closer to me.

“You said it activates a fire-type attack?” said Alana.

“Inferno Overdrive,” I said. “It’s powerful. I’ve seen it take down several Pokémon at once.”

“Not Forest Pokémon, though, right?”

Striker straightened, looked down at me from behind his comb. “Not gonna work. Even the strongest fire-type attacks are pretty much useless around here. Didn’t anyone tell you? Ruby Forest doesn’t burn.”

I looked to Harriet. She shook her head.

“The Pillar Oak is made up of tree cells held together with magic, right? Inferno Overdrive isn’t _just_ fire. It’s _fire_ and _magic_.”

“The Pillar Oak is a _god-like_ magic, Harriet,” said Khan, astounded. “Striker’s right, Inferno Overdrive won’t do anything. _This_ is what you dragged them in for?! This was a _suicide mission_!”

“What, is it going to rip itself out of the ground and strangle us?!” Harriet snapped back.

“It’s not the Oak itself you need to be worried about,” said Eliza, a little more level, “it’s the Guardians that are the real threat.”

“Ruby Forest’s answer to law enforcement,” Khan answered before we could ask.

“I thought that was you guys,” Tobias said.

Laughter.

“Oh, honey,” said Alana, “we’re the _criminals_.”

“We have been living in hiding for the past twenty years,” said Roy.

“Well thank the Swords you turned up then,” Fortis said, directed at Khan.

“Oi, oi, knock it off.” Striker said roughly, holding out his wing to gesture at Khan. “He’s doing his best to take care of you lot since you clearly have no idea what you’re doing.”

“Striker!” Khan approached him but the Staraptor tucked his wing away. “What happened?”

“That was what happened the _last_ time we went to the Pillar,” said Alana. “Achilleus was there. He had his Pokémon with him too.”

“What did you do?”

“We tried to fight back-” Eliza began.

“ _You_ tried to fight back,” said Alana.

“There was just too many of them. If it was just Achilleus we could easily take him, but his lackies are never far behind him.”

“What were you doing there?” Khan asked.

“We were just passing through, on our way to the ironwoods,” said Eliza, “but he was already there, like he was _waiting_ for us.”

“Seems like it wasn’t _us_ he was waiting for after all,” Striker said, looking right at me.

I stood. “We’re trying to save someone’s life! Actually, _six_ lives! Six Pokémon are trapped in that place!”

“If they find any outsiders there they’ll kill them on the spot,” said Bucky. “Even if one of them is a “king”.”

“If we do nothing he’s dead anyway!” I said.

“Does that mean you are required to die with him?” said Roy.

I put my hands to my head. I looked to Tobias for support, but there was nothing he could say either.

“I think we could all use a decent night’s sleep,” said Alana. There should be enough moss to make beds for everyone.”

In the bedroom were six flattened piles of moss, trimmed to prevent overgrowth. Five of them had distinct imprints, and only one was entirely smooth.

“Why are there still six?” Khan asked.

“It’s a guest bed,” said Eliza, flopping down on the bed with the heart-shape dent at the top. “You know, ‘cause we’re _so_ popular these days.”

She kicked some of the moss away and we gathered them into piles.

“There,” said Alana, dusting off her paws, “that should be just enough for everyone.”

“There’s still one missing,” said Khan.

Alana’s face turned pinker.

“Oh, actually, I was going to share with Eliza.”

“Oh.”

We settled down into bed. Alana curled up next to Eliza and the Heracross put her arm around her. Khan lay on his back for a moment. Then he shifted to his side, facing away from them.

“You were gone, Dracen,” Roy said quietly. “It shouldn’t be surprising to you.”

“No,” he whispered back. “No, it’s not.”

I woke up early. It took me a few minutes to move.

Everyone else was asleep, except for Khan and Bucky, who weren’t there. I gave Tobias a gentle shake. He stayed inside his shell. I got up on my own.

I wandered into the living room, then ducked back behind the wall. Khan and Bucky sat at the window, facing away from me.

“I just wish we could’ve met under happier circumstances!” Bucky was saying.

Khan sighed. “We’re only here because of Alex’s mission. Why on earth that should be _his_ mission specifically I can’t fathom. He’s a good Pokémon, and he’s showing a lot of promise in battle, but there’s no way he should have been given such a responsibility so _young_.”

“How old is he?”

“I’m guessing he’s around Tobias’ age. I haven’t actually asked.”

“Seems a bit redundant, anyway.”

Khan shook his head. “Rescuing a _king_ , though; that’s a heavy load for anyone to bear.”

“Is this guy someone we have to worry about?” Bucky asked. “The king, I mean. You said he was pretty anti-Forest.”

“I’ll reserve my judgement until we’ve actually met him. It’s possible he’s only crusading on a dais of “we’re going to save Itori by defeating Ruby Forest” as a way to rally Pokémon to his cause. Or maybe he really does believe what he’s saying. I’m actually not sure which is worse.”

“What does he mean by _defeating_ Ruby Forest?”

“That I don’t know either.” He hesitated. “But I have to say, I understand where he’s coming from. I can see why he wants to prevent the Barrier from breaking again. It’s kept me up at night more than once as well. That being said, _violent overthrow_ was never the surest sign of a trustworthy leader.”

“… You know, I’m not so sure about that,” Bucky said, staring out the window. “It’s not like you can just _talk_ the Forest out of growing. It’s only natural that the next step would be to fight back. We’re Pokémon, aren’t we? Battling’s in our nature.”

“Battling is not the same thing as war.”

“Believe me, Dracen, I know the difference. I also know that some things don’t change unless you _make_ them change.”

“That’s surprising to hear from you. Weren’t you always the pacifist of the group?”

“That was before I changed.”

“Oh…”

Bucky quickly filled the gap in conversation. “But speaking of change, you’ve gotten _insanely_ strong since you've been gone!”

“So have you! You’re more confident, too! I’d hardly have recognised you.”

Bucky shrugged. “I have to be. We’re all pretty different now, even if it’s less obvious with the others.”

“Besides Striker?”

“Hah, yeah, besides Striker. I wish you could have been there when he evolved; I wish _we_ had been there when _you_ evolved.”

“I’m glad we at least got to meet each other now.”

“Yeah. But don’t tell Tobias and Alex, right?”

Khan laughed.

“Did you see Roy’s face when he saw you?” Bucky said. “Like he thought, “yep, that’s it, I’ve finally lost it”. Which wouldn’t be that surprising. He’s a good leader, though. I can always trust his decisions, and you know, he’s always kept us safe. But don’t tell that to _him_ either, haha.”

“He’s a what now?”

“He doesn’t really mean to take charge, believe it or not. I mean, if he thinks someone else has a better plan, he won’t hesitate to step down.”

“The problem is he never thinks that?”

Bucky laughed.

“We always said we were a leaderless movement,” Khan continued.

“We liked to think that, but come on, we were all following your example. Hell, we wouldn’t even have a _kitchen_ if you hadn’t suggested it.”

“You’re savages, you Rubies,” he teased. “Who cooks for you now?”

“Striker, astoundingly. Eliza chops and grates for him.”

“Wow, things _are_ different.”

“Yeah… they are. We have a life here without you now. We all had to adapt to it.”

Khan looked away. “Should I have come back at all? To you guys, I mean.”

“Of course! Of course you should have! That’s not what I’m saying!” He nudged him. “Besides, you know you would have run into us eventually. If not in the mulberries then certainly after your friends _attacked_ the Heart of the Forest.”

He sighed. “What am I going to do about those two?”

“I can’t tell you that, this is your gig, _Professor_. What kind of name is _Professor_ anyway?”

A small chuckle. “Doesn’t matter.”

“It sounded pretty brutal, what happened between you three. Alana was there. She said you were really upset.”

“Alana? Alana was watching me?”

“Yeah. I mean, we all saw the flare, but she was the closest to you at the time.”

“Right. Right. Of course.”

Bucky opened his mouth, then thought better of it. He changed the subject instead: “We might have met up with you sooner, but we didn’t really know if you’d want us to. You know, because of your students.”

“I’m not sure I can call them that anymore. And I think it might be my fault. This place has brought out the worst in me. That impatience, that _anger_ , I thought I’d left that all behind.”

“Well maybe you did,” Bucky said, “I would know. But either way, _this_ is where you left it, of course it would… materialise again.”

“Tobias has always looked up to me so much. More than I deserved. And for poor Alex this is his first impression of his leader. Although I suppose that’s really Dreigo Varia. Maybe he’s better off with him, I don’t know. But I really wanted the Academy to be there for him. I could have really used a place like that when I was his age, I know I don’t have to tell you.” He exhaled. “I wish I hadn’t lost my temper.”

“Diplomacy was never really your thing, was it?” 

“It needs to be now! I _need_ to be the authority, otherwise I’ll be putting them in danger!”

“See? Born leader, that’s what I’ve been telling you.”

Something moved outside the window. Bucky’s eyes fixed on it.

“More enemies?” said Khan.

“Yeah,” Bucky said, distracted.

“You really are being _constantly_ watched, aren’t you?”

“Yeah. But what can you do?”

“You could come with us.”

Bucky looked back at him. “I can’t do that!”

“Why not? You don’t have to stay in this place! Living like this!”

“We help Pokémon here!”

“We help Pokémon out there!”

“But the Forest Pokémon don’t have anyone else…”

“There are good Pokémon here, it’s not just us.”

“But there’s so much bad! And we’re the best hope they have! We have a responsibility here, we can’t just abandon it!” He straightened. “This is what I have chosen to dedicate my life to. This is my _purpose_. I’ll do whatever it takes to live up to it. Even if it means-”

“Living in hiding?”

Bucky closed his eyes, took a deep breath. “We’d better wake the others.”

“Bucky-”

“I’m starving, aren’t you? Come on, we’ve got plenty of food spare and we need to eat those Apples before they go bad. Hah, we always did gather too many of them, don’t we?”

Khan conceded. “Okay. Breakfast sounds good. Will you sit with us?”

“Yeah…” Bucky said, eyes fixed ahead, “in a moment.”

Khan stood. I slipped behind the wall before he saw me. Roy stood under the arch leading into the bedroom.

He raised his eyebrows. “Good morning.”

I coughed. “Hello. Yes. Good morning. I have just woken up.”

“Mm-hm.”

“Alex?” Khan called.

I gingerly stepped into view.

“Would you go wake Tobias for me?”

I hurried to the bedroom. I knelt over Tobias and shook him. He reluctantly came out of his shell.

Once everyone was awake we gathered in the living room. Eliza asked us which powders we wanted then handed us each a wooden bowl filled with chopped-up fruits.

“My concern right now is obvious,” said Khan, spearing a Micle Berry with his claw. “What Alex is talking about here is walking straight into the Forest’s nexus; there isn’t anywhere in the _World_ more unsafe for an outsider Pokémon.”

Striker snorted. “Nexus?”

“Since _when_ did you talk like that?” said Alana.

“Do you know what that word means?” said Eliza. “I mean I don’t, but do _you_?”

Roy frowned. “I fail to see what is so amusing about using the _correct_ word to describe the topic at hand.”

“And there it is,” said Striker.

“He’s not wrong, though,” said Bucky. “Being in that place is hard enough for a _Forest Pokémon_. You feel so _helpless_ just _looking_ at that… that _thing_.”

“Helpless yet powerful,” said Eliza. “It’s a funny feeling…”

“What choice do we have?” said Harriet. “Alex needs to be at least a hundred feet within his friend’s radius or the Badge won’t have any effect.”

“Of course we’ll help you, Dracen,” said Striker.

“We’re not saying we won’t,” Eliza said to the Staraptor, “we’re just saying we need to think ahead first.”

“Should we be thinking about _whom_ exactly we’re rescuing?” said Roy. “This Pokémon seems to me a potential enemy. He certainly seems antagonistic to the Forest.”

“ _We_ aren’t Ruby Forest,” said Bucky.

“We protect Pokémon _from_ Ruby Forest,” said Alana, “whoever they are. We’ll rescue those Pokémon because that’s our duty. It doesn’t matter whether it benefits us or not.”

Fortis took a deep breath. “If that’s the case, I have a request of my own. I’m not a Varia soldier, and frankly I never wanted anything to do with King Dreigo. I came here to search for my parents. I’ll leave you to your own objective and search on my own if I have to, but I would… I would appreciate the support.”

“Who are your parents?” asked Alana. “We might have seen them.”

“My mother is a Blaziken, her name is Blanche; my father is an Ampharos, a yellow Pokémon with a red orb on his forehead and on his tail. His name is Adrian. They live in Moss Gulley.”

The Forest Fires exchanged looks.

“What?” Fortis said. He voice went up a level. “What is it?”

“Moss Gulley was destroyed a few months ago,” Eliza told him. “It’s been empty ever since.”

Fortis’ face sunk.

“I’m sorry. I wish we could tell you more.”

He got to his feet. “Who was it? Who attacked him?”

“Fortis-” Harriet began.

“It was the Guardians, wasn't it? What did they do to them?”

“We weren't there when it happened,” said Roy, “but it did look deliberate.”

“Someone must have _really_ pissed them off,” said Striker.

Fortis’ chest was rising and falling heavily. Harriet put a wing on his arm. He closed his eyes, reeled himself back in.

“There must be something,” the Empoleon said. “I don’t know, can’t you use your Forest-y magic, or something?”

Alana laughed. “That’s not how that works.”

Harriet narrowed her eyes. “I don’t think this is all that funny, actually.”

“There is one way we can find out what happened.”

Everyone turned to Ewan.

“There's a place in the oak region called Time Flower Field. A Time Flower captures important moments in time and stores them in a crystalline form. If whatever happened to Fortis’ parents was captured on a memory…”

“There are thousands of Flowers in that field,” said Roy, “how could we possibly expect to find the single specimen with the information you need? Such a thing may not even exist.”

“If a Pokémon is connected to the memory in a certain way, they’ll be drawn to it. It won’t take long for him to find out of he follows his instincts.”

“How do you know so much about this?” said Alana. “ _We_ don’t even know that much about the Time Flowers.”

Ewan forced a smile. “I suppose I’m just too curious for my own good.”


	12. Time Flower Field

_“What has awoken in you because of your journey?” - Steven Stone, Pokémon Black 2 & White 2_

“What the hell is that?!” Harriet cried.

We’d reached the wood sorrel trees, around five miles to the north-east, without much conflict. We had enough food to get by without foraging, and there were very few hills along the way. With any luck, we’d be there before lunch. That was, if we managed to escape from the sinkhole that had just appeared below us.

We were being sucked into the earth. The ground around us was twisting and turning and collapsing in on itself; it would be been enough to swallow a party twice our size. Only the trees and the bushes and the grass remained undisturbed.

“It’s a Maelstrom!” said Eliza. “There must be a hostile sorcerer nearby!”

“There’s nothing to grab onto!” said Ewan. “We’re going to drown!”

“Stop panicking!” said Roy. “You are already dead if you are thinking that way!”

“He’s right!” I said. “You survived it the last time, you can survive it now!”

Roy frowned. “Last time?”

There was no time to explain. Alana raised a Protect bubble around us, and Ewan added his own strength. The ground pressed in on all sides. We weren’t sinking, but we weren't rising, either. We only had a few moments before the bubble popped.

“Are we being buried alive?!” Harriet cried.

“Oof, don’t talk like that, you’re making Eliza go pale,” said Striker. “Look, her hands are already turning white.”

“Don’t worry,” Bucky said, “I know a way out of this, we’re going to be okay!”

“You do?” said Ewan.

“Someone is trying to drown us in the soil,” he said, “but if we make them think somebody here can’t be drowned, they’ll spit us right back out. I can transfer an image from here. Let’s say… Steelix.”

“I’ve never heard of a Stantler being able to do that!”

“You hadn’t heard of _us_ until a couple of days ago, either. Drop the bubble.”

“Are you mad?!”

“I will be if you don’t drop that bubble!”

Ewan reluctantly lowered his paws. Alana threw her arms out. The bubble stretched and expanded until it broke. The earth swallowed us whole. The last thing I saw was Alana, one paw on Bucky and the other on the earth, and the Stantler’s horns glowing.

Suddenly were being dragged down with incredible force, pulled vertically across, and then spat back up again. The soil fell away and we were in the open air. Enormous red petals sunk back down into the ground.

Fortis shook the dirt from his coat.

“Will she make it, doc?” said Harriet.

“You might not.”

Roy looked up from grooming the soil from his fur. “That is some impressive apparel, I must say.”

“Thank you,” said Fortis. “It’s made of hemp boiled and infused with steel, so it acts as decent armour. The belt is for my equipment.” He flashed his swords.

“Fascinating,” Roy said.

Fortis swung his blades through the air. He didn’t smile; actually, so far I’d never seen him smile, genuinely smile, instead of a grimace or bitter laugh. He never really looked _happy_. But he hardly ever looked sad, either.

“You know I’m not one for the battles and all that,” said Ewan, “but its a fine bit of craftsmonship, even I can see that.”

“Do you want to hold one?”

“Absolutely not.”

Eliza poked at the pommel of my sword. “How come you’re not using yours?”

“That’s a good question,” said Harriet. “The past six days I’ve seen you use that thing a handful of times, and one of them I had to _shout_ at you to remind you it was there.”

“I… I just don’t want to hurt anyone…”

Khan chuckled. “We’re _Pokémon_ , Alex; it’s going to take a more than a plain steel sword to do any serious damage.”

Harriet held out here wing. “Look, if you’re not going to use it, I will. Give it over.”

I put my hand not he pommel. “No, no, I can use it. I will as soon as I have someone to fight I will.”

Roy span around. His eyes were glowing.

“You may not have to wait long. Eliza.”

“On it.” Eliza summoned ten, twenty, thirty copies of herself to flood through the trees. The real Heracross zipped between the branches, barely visible even to us. And then: “There!”

Bucky fired Hyper Beam. A Noctowl fell from the leaves in a heap on the floor. Then his body started to melt.

“Ew! That’s disgusting!” said Harriet.

The Noctowl’s colours and shape faded until they become a pink puddle with a simple face. A Ditto.

Harriet put a wing to her chest. “I thought he’d _died_!”

“What kind of Pokémon do you take us for?” said Roy.

The Ditto was struggling to pick himself up. The Luxray pressed a paw down on top of him.

“Who are you?” he demanded. “How much have you seen?”

“Let… me… go…”

“I won’t ask you again.”

The Ditto’s plain eyes glared up at him.

“Don’t them.”

His body morphed again and he became a Heracross, with a heart-shaped horn. Copies appeared, blocking our view.

Tobias ducked under them and fired Ice Beam. It landed. Then the fake Heracross was gone and a Dunsparce was in his place. He dove into the ground and it closed up behind him. Forest magic.

“Damn it!” said Alana.

“The _nerve_ of that guy!” said Heracross. “Using _my_ form like that!”

“He stole your closed character!” said Harriet.

“You should sue him for copyright infringement,” said Fortis.

“How did he even know where we were?” said Bucky.

“Roy,” I said, “can you see any Dunsparce nearby?”

Roy’s eyes glowed. He turned in a circle.

"I cannot identify any Dunsparce in the immediate vicinity.”

“Are we certain that guy was actually an enemy?” said Harriet. “Cause no offence, but from here it just looked like you attacked a Pokémon for no reason.”

“He looked away,” said Roy, “that’s what revealed him. If he were just another curious innocent, he wouldn’t have made any attempt to disguise his interest. Certainly no other Pokémon do.”

“Ditto aren’t native to Ruby Forest,” said Fortis, “what’s this one doing here?”

“I’m more concerned with what he’s _doing_ here,” said Khan. “If there are Pokémon trailing us…”

“We can’t assume the worst yet, Dracen,” said Alana. “One isolated Green isn’t cause for alarm.”

“He wasn’t isolated,” I said.

“I’m sorry?”

“There aren’t any Dunsparce around us. But the Ditto still Transformed into one.”

“Why does that matter?”

“Ditto can’t Transform into a Pokémon it isn’t laying eyes one,” I said.

“Which means whoever he Transformed into doesn’t want to be seen,” said Tobias.”There are more Pokémon watching us.”

“That means they were following us after Flaviana as well.”

“Which is how they knew where we were!”

The Forest Fires exchanged looks. Roy nodded.

“I believe they are correct, if their information about the “Ditto” Pokémon is accurate.”

“It is,” said Harriet. “It’s a well-kept secret, but it is true.”

“You taught these two well, D,” said Alana.

Khan rubbed the back of his head. “I, aha, actually didn’t teach them that.”

Tobias and I shared a smile.

Daytime turned to night. We were passing through the area of swamp oaks. Fortis had gone silent. We were only a couple of miles away from Moss Gulley.

He looked more energetic than I'd ever seen him. He was picking up speed again, and Harriet had to keep calling him back. I would even call it cheerful, by his standards.

Eliza glanced at him.

“Does he ever smile?” she whispered to Khan.

That killed his mood pretty quickly. He ground his beak and fell back in with the rest of us, out of her eyesight.

“Don’t listen to her,” Harriet said to him. “She doesn’t know you as well as we do. These are the new guys here, remember?”

“Do any of you know me at all?” Fortis said drily, almost harshly.

Harriet met his eye. “I do.”

Fortis didn't respond. He didn't roll his eyes, or grind his beak, either. They carried on beside us in a more comfortable silence.

Khan instructed us to watch our heads. We passed under a Kakuna dangling from a tree branch. And then another. And then another. We slowed to a stop.

“We should back away,” Khan whispered.

“The Crystal Swarm’s territory stretches for miles,” said Striker, “they’re the largest party in the Forest.”

“If we’re seeing Kakuna we must already be some way’s in,” said Ewan.

“I’m not walking for miles through Beedrill territory, even at night,” Khan said, “let’s go.”

We turned around and saw a Weedle staring up at us.

Oh no.

Harriet held up her wing. “It’s okay guys,” she said, voice brimming with confidence, “I’ve got this.”

She crouched down and gave the small Pokémon a friendly smile. “Hey there little-”

“Weeeeeeeeeeeee!” the Weedle screamed.

The trees erupted all around us.

“Run.”

The Beedrill didn’t hesitate. They stabbed Eliza, Bucky, and Alana with their stingers before we could even make a running start. The Forest Fires drove their opponents back with Bug Buzz, Zen Headbutt, Psybeam. One of the aimed for Roy’s head and he Volt Switched with Striker; the Beedrill missed by less than an inch and Striker Steel’s Wing smacked her in the face.

Another’s Twin Needle stabbed me in the back. Khan’s Fire Blast dealt with him.

“I think I might have lost my touch!” Harriet cried, sheltering herself with her Steel Wings.

“It must have run away with your common sense,” said Fortis, slashing at them with his swords.

“My what now?”

“We’re not going to be able to outrun them for long!” said Ewan.

“We don’t need to!” said Khan. “We just need to leave their territory!”

“I’ve got a better idea,” said Bucky, jumping over one of the Poison Bee Pokémon's stinger, “we make them think we already have!”

He turned to face the swarm. His antlers glowed. The Beedrill's eyes turned white and glossy. They looked to one another, perplexed. One of them fired a Pin Missile. Ewan covered his head and ducked. Another Beedrill struck out with Poison Jab. Striker pulled his head back. A third was sent out to scout the area.

Alana’s eyes glowed. In the distance, leaves rustled. The Beedrill turned around and raced off in the other direction.

Roy found a path around the swarm’s territory, just between them and the Requiem Orbeetle. But it was a long detour; we weren’t going to make it to the Flowers until the darkest hour.

We passed by a small branch house. A Deerling and a Sawsbuck were working together to drag a bushel of Tomato Berries inside. The Deerling’s eyes widened when she saw us. The Sawsbuck quickly steered her inside. He made sure to glare at us over his shoulder.

“It looks like Crystal Swarm has expanded massively,” Roy said, ignoring him, “in the past few _weeks_ , even.”

“I recognised one of the Beedrill who attacked us,” said Ewan, “he was originally part of the Injector Swarm.”

“They must have been absorbed,” said Striker. “Hell on earth.”

“Shame that connection of yours didn’t help us when they were trying to skewer us,” Fortis said. But his tone was different, and Ewan laughed.

“If I had the power to befriend every Pokémon in the Forest, there’d be no need for all this sneaking around!”

Striker clicked his tongue. “A lot of Pokémon in this place you'd don't wanna make friends with.”

“True…” said the Furret, offering a warm smile, “but there are far more in this place that I do.”

We stopped to eat, intending to settle down for the night. We were preparing our beds while Khan helped Striker cook and Eliza and Alana found a comfortable spot to tuck in together, when something in the distance caught my eyes. A light. Pink, then blue.

“I see something.”

Roy used his vision. “That’s it. That’s Time Flower Field. How on earth did you see it from so far away?”

I shrugged. “I have good eyes, I guess.”

“You have remarkable eyes.”

“Especially for a Charmander,” Khan added, “no offence.”

“None taken, Sharknado.”

Time Flower Field stretched the length of five battlefields. The trees and vegetation and been cleared, leaving only the pink-and-blue flowers crowded in together. They were each around half my size. There must have been over a thousand of them.

I rubbed my arm.

“What’s up?” said Tobias.

“I just… almost can’t help but feel like I’m intruding,” I confessed.

“We kind of are. But we’re not hurting anyone by being here.”

“Are you feeling anything?” Ewan asked Fortis.

“Not yet.”

“There’s no way of knowing which is the one we’re looking for,” said Khan, “we might have to open every single one.”

“Are you serious?” said Striker. “That could take forever!”

“Exactly,” said Harriet, “so let’s get started!”

She took off down the hill. She caught her foot on one of the protruding crystals and fell flat on her face.

“You want to be careful around those things, lass,” said Ewan, following at a reasonable pace, “they’re tougher than diamonds, and they’ll give you a nasty black eye.”

“Barring any injuries of that nature, we should be safe while we’re here,” said Roy. “It’s not a Sanctuary, but I couldn’t imagine any Pokémon starting a fight here of all places.”

Striker was watching the trees.

“What is it?” said Khan.

“If there are Pokémon watching us,” he said, “we might have a seriously problem on our hands, D.”

“What kind of problem?” said Fortis.

“We won’t know what kind, until we find a vision with one of our faces in it.”

Khan didn’t answer, but his expression was grim. He turned away and began a silent search through the field.

We divided the area equally between us, splitting off in different directions. Not every Time Flower opened. Almost all the petals I held my palm against stayed closed. Once I passed one Tobias had failed to open, yet when my hand brushed over it, it came to life.

Colours blared and voices spoke and yelled and screamed and attacks exploded all around us. But they were all contained in the dampened, echoey hush of the Time Flower’s vision. A red-brown Trevenant knocking an Excadrill to the earth. A Venipede surrounded by opaque golden bubbles. A Dartrix evolving into a Decidueye.

Tobias opened another. A Combusken with pale-yellow feathers was roasting a Lum Berry over a fire lit by powder. Two piles, cooked and uncooked, sat in front of him. Another was building a small hut out of sticks. A Liepard poked his head out of the bushes, nose twitching. The Combusken gave him a warm smile and waved him over.

“They look like regular Combusken,” he said.

“They must have been two of the first,” said Eliza.

“After their home was swallowed,” Fortis added.

“They seem awful friendly, there," said Ewan.

“Must be how they got by in an anti-fire climate,” said Harriet, “I mean who wants to hunt the Pokémon cooking your food for you? Now why can’t you be more like those two?”

“Get back to searching,” Fortis said.

After a few more minutes, Striker found a memory of the Forest Fires, featuring “Dracen” as a Gabite, Striker as a Staravia, and Roy as a Luxio. They were locked into battle with a swarm of Venomoth.

The five Ruby Pokémon sat together to watch their memories unfold around them. A Venomoth raced [ast the Luxray’s head. The Luxio leapt into the air and tackled her; his Spark attack struck her down. Another landed on the Staravia’s back as he flew; he twisted and threw her, then jabbed her in the back with Aerial Ace. Khan watched from afar, just out of the vision's reach, as the Gabite Slashed one of the Poison Moth Pokémon across the face, a second, a third. The Heracross made ten, fifteen copies of herself. The Stantler's horns glowed. The Venomoth started screaming at the counterfeits in terror. The Meowstic’s Psyshock pummelled them from below. Striker cheered; he and the four other Fires were thoroughly enjoying themselves.

So I guess by “one of our faces”, he had meant _ours_.

Alana found one of someone walking through the Barrier, golden sunlight shining at his back. A Gible, weak, limping, starved. I looked away, as if I’d just seen something I really shouldn’t have. Khan just stood and watched until the vision faded.

Roy found a Charmander. A dagger was placed in his hands by a Pokémon just out of view. Subconsciously, I brought my hand to the Chariz-Fang hanging around my neck.

The vision faded and the Time Flower closed.

“He looked familiar,” said Eliza.

“We met him at the Amber Graveyard,” said Bucky.

“He must be more important than we realised,” said Striker, eyeing the Flower.

“Good for him,” said Fortis. He looked to Ewan. “You said I should be feeling something. What exactly am I _feeling_ for?”

“I couldn’t describe it to you in words. You might not feel anything at all unless you have a strong connection with it.”

“How would you define a “strong connection”?”

“I’m… not really sure I can, I’m sorry.”

Fortis scowled, picking his way through the field. He brushed his hand over multiple flowers at once, eyes searching for any trace of his parents. In one vision there was a Blaziken, and in another a Combusken could be seen in the background. But neither of them were his mother. There were no Ampharos to be seen, either.

Tobias opened one of the Flowers to reveal the vision of a Dragonite stepping directly _into_ the trunk of a koari tree, creating ripples in the bark wherever he touched. The tree swallowed him whole.

I opened up another Flower, this one showing us an intense battle scene between a gang of pink Vigoroth and a motley crew of six formidable Pokémon. The Forest Fires and Tobias were very entertained, but the rest of us stayed focused on our task.

My foot caught on one of the crystals poking out on the ground and I fell.

I raised my head. The Chariz-Fang was pointing off to the right, directly at one of the flowers. I stared at it. Tobias spoke my name, but I wasn’t paying attention.

I crawled over to the Time Flower and rested by hands on it. The petals twisted and peeled away. Then it exploded to life.

I was staring at a leafless tree; at least a hundred feet tall, a species known as live oak, thicker, redder than anything I’d ever seen. At the top was a kind of platform, with the highest branches twisted around into a kind of barrier.

Staring up with me was a strange creature. It was bipedal, tailless, with a small tuft of hair on its head. It was completely covered from the neck down: tunic, breeches, boots, a cowl. All dark-blue, except for a black tunic.

Behind it were Pokémon lightly dressed in black-and-blue: a Beartic, a Kommo-o, a Honchkrow, an Exploud. At its side, an Incineroar, dressed in hemp wrestler’s gear, and a Hydreigon, dressed in a blue-and-black cape, with a sceptre in one lower mouth and a shield bearing a detailed sigil in the other. All of them wore the same sigil on their chests or foreheads. The same sigil Harriet had shown me. A mirror, bordered by green, blue, and orange.

Another group of Pokémon approached. Six wore blue clothes patterned with orange flames: three Charizard; one wearing a grey stetson, with a Talonflame feather sticking out; another, larger, with a orange-and-blue glass eye; the third, skinner, with a blue-and-yellow scarf around his neck.

An Emboar, with a mechanical arm; a Hex Ninetales, with a mechanical right foreleg; a Barbaracle, with scars all over her skin. And, dressed in a bejewelled headband, earrings, anklets, and bulb guards, was a smaller Pokémon: a Bulbasaur.

“You don’t have to do this!” the Seed Pokémon cried. “We don’t have to fight! This doesn’t have to end in _war_!”

“You’re right,” the creature said, “it _doesn’t_.”

I put both hands to my head. Someone was calling my name but it was drowned out by a ringing sound close to my ear. I didn’t look away from the vision.

The feathered Charizard called: “This isn’t you! I know you! You’re not a _killer_!”

The creature didn’t turn around. “Apprehend them,” he said to his Pokémon, “don’t let them near the Pillar.”

I breathed through my teeth. My vision blurred for a moment and I shook my head to clear it.

The Bulbasaur slammed both forepaws down on the ground and the jewels he wore shone. Green binds of light came up from the ground to hold the black-and-blue Pokémon in place.

The Hydreigon raised the staff held him his right-hand-side mouth. It shone pink light down on the Pokémon and the binds disintegrated.

The Honchkrow lifted the creature in the air. I could see him clearer now; muscled, with a strong jaw, pale-brown skin, neat black hair flicked back in a smooth wave. A red-and-yellow badge was pinned to his chest.

“We have to stop them!” the Bulbasaur cried. He and the six other Pokémon charged.

The Kommo-o used Dragon Claw, the feathered Charizard caught his wrists and hit her with a close-range Flamethrower. The one-eyed Charizard used Flare Blitz; the Hydreigon countered with Dragon Tail and the Lizard Pokémon was hurled backwards. The Barbaracle used Stone Edge; the Incineroar crossed his arms over his face and took the attack, then charged at her. The Beartic’s and the Emboar’s Hammer Arms clashed. The Exploud used Hyper Voice; the Ninetales dug underground and dodged.

The skinny Charizard came rocketing down towards the Honchkrow and the creature on wide wings that glowed sky-blue. The Honchkrow swerved out of the way; the skinny Charizard had no time to pull away. His attack hit the tree. A red shockwave sent the Honchkrow and the creature flying; it cut jagged red lines across the Charizard’s wings; he was knocked away from the tree and fell to the ground. The Emboar caught him, only to be struck in the back with the Beartic’s Superpower attack.

The Ninetales burst free and smacked the Exploud with her tails. He Crunched down on her back leg and tossed her aside. The Barbaracle slashed at the Incineroar with Razor Shell. He dodged both swipes and struck her across the face with Cross Chop. The Emboar's body burned with Heat Crash’s power. The Beartic summoned a Brine attack with both hands, dousing him.

“Quickly!" the creature said, in a deep, commanding voice. His rang out so much clearer than the others.

The Honchkrow dropped him on the dais formed at the top of the tree. The creature landed gracefully, one hand lightly brushing against the platform. The Honchkrow came down beside him, stumbling a little on the landing.

“What if it doesn't work?” his Pokémon asked, with an almost pleading look on her face.

“Then you follow my orders,” the creature said, locking eyes with her, “you follow them to your last breath. Do you understand?”

The Honchkrow put her wing to her chest, and bowed. The creature smiled.

The Hydreigon’s chest glowed orange. He raised his head and fired a ball of energy into the air, shaped like a dragon’s head. The one-eyed Charizard used the chance to Sky Drop him to the ground. But Draco Meteor burst in the air and a hoard of dragon-faced meteors crashed down on top of the Bulbasaur’s Pokémon.

The creature walk to the centre of the platform.

“Alex!” the feathered Charizard cried.

My vision started to blur. Maybe tears. Maybe something else.

The creature looked down at him.

“Please, don’t do this! Think about yourself, if no one else! It’s not safe up there! It’s not safe _here_! That thing is strong enough to _kill a Pokémon_!”

The creature blinked. Then smiled. Then laughed. Then fixed met his eyes with his own; green eyes, steady eyes, strong eyes. Determined eyes.

“But I’m not a Pokémon,” he said calmly, clearly, “am I?”

The Bulbasaur fired Solar Beam. The Honchkrow flew in front of the creatures and took the hit for him.

The feathered Charizard called out again but his voice was drowned out by the chaos around him. The creature drew his sword. It was half his size, a little over three feet long. The two conscious Charizard took to the sky, dodging the Kommo-’s Dragon Pulse and the Beartic’s Icicle Crash.The creatures raised his sword about his head, tip-down.

“ _Alex!_ ” the feathered Charizard cried against the air.

I clutched my head and screamed. Someone was trying to drag me away but I wouldn’t go.

The creature drove his sword into the tree. There was an unbearable wailing, and blaring red light, too bright to look at through closed eyes.

A hand on my shoulder. “Alex,” Tobias said softly, “Alex, please, open your eyes.”

The others were yelling at each other to close the Time Flower. The light had covered the entire field, reaching up through the trees. Then it stopped. There was a flash of white, and the vision faded in a circle, moving outwards, so even from the clear we could still see the faded live oak trees surrounding the clearing, disappearing into the pink-and-blue. The Flower closed on its own time.

“What was that thing?” Striker rasped.

I took several deep breaths. After a moment I found my voice again.

“Me.”

Eyes. Too many of them. All pressing in on me. I turned and ran.

Psychic held me in place.

“Alana, let him go,” said Khan.

“I am not letting him run off on his own after seeing something like _that_ ,” said the Meowstic.

“Alana, please,” said Bucky, “he’s not going to hurt anyone. He’s _terrified_.”

My eyes were wide and I was breathing hard. I looked over my shoulder. The Ruby Pokémon looked ready to snap me in half.

“Alana, drop him, _now_ ,” said Khan.

“You are not in charge of us anymore, Dracen!” Roy roared.

“That’s not the point!”

“Then what is the point?!” said Eliza. “We can’t just let him go off alone!”

“Tch, no wonder you couldn’t control that kid,” said Striker.

“No one is _controlling_ anyone!” Khan said.

“Maybe we should be,” said Alana. “What was it the winged Pokémon called that creature again?”

“ _Let go of him!_ ” Tobias yelled.

He gave her a full-body shove. She would have fallen if Bucky hadn’t been there to catch her. The Psychic hold broke and I kept running. Suddenly Eliza was in front of me. Striker was on one side, Roy the other.

“ _Leave me alone!_ ”

The Forest Fires made to grab me.

The Booster Badge flashed.

I don’t even know what happened. I stumbled backwards, like I was trying to hold it in, but suddenly my tail flame reached over my head and fire was roaring out of my mouth.

“ _Look out!_ ” Khan cried.

I really don’t know how it happened. Inferno Overdrive just activated, like it had a life of its own. Ewan and Alana raised their paws. Khan held Tobias close to him. A dome of fire swallowed my friends whole.


	13. The Burrowwilds

_“People, Pokémon, nature itself… Our survival in this world depends on all of us living together in harmony.” - Steven Stone, Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire_

The fire roared.

“ _No!_ ”

There was nothing I could do. I tried to run in to rescue them but the flames were like a physical wall.

“ _Tobias!_ ”

I tried to push through but the fire pushed me back. I tried jumping into it and smacked myself in the face. I pounded at it with my fists. I cringed away and clutch my hand; the heat was powerful enough to burn even me.

After a few moments the fire died. Ewan and Alana lowered their paws. It hadn’t been the flames keeping me away, it was the Protect bubble. But it hadn’t protected them completely. Fortis and Harriet were gasping for air, the Forest Fires were breathing heavily. Tobias was leaning against Khan, barely standing.

Ewan fell to the ground. Burns covered his whole body.

“Ewan!” I tried to run to his side but Roy jumped in front of me and blocked me off. “Ewan! Answer me, please!”

Fortis placed his hand on his forehead. “He’s just unconscious. You knocked him out, that’s all.”

“But you used Protect!”

“Protect isn't an omnipotent power,” Alana said, “it can’t defend against _anything_.”

“And in case you haven’t noticed,” said Striker, peering down at me from behind his comb, “the two of them had a hell of a lot of us to protect.”

I put a hand to my chest. I looked around. Everyone was staring at me. The flame at the end of my tail flickered. It must have been from one of the crystals, or the fire burning around Fortis’ wrists, or the sun reflecting off something, but it looked for a second like the Booster Badge was starting to light up again.

I ran.

“Alex!” Tobias called, then broke into a fit of coughing.

I was sobbing, but I wiped the tears from my eyes and kept running. I banged my foot on another Time Flower and activated another memory but I kept running. I cut the other knee on a crystal but I kept running.

Until Alana’s Psychic held me in place.

“Just let him go,” Striker spat, “you saw what happened the _last_ time you tried to keep him here.”

“If he runs off into the trees alone, he’ll be killed.”

Khan stepped over the Flowers and picked me out of the air. He carried me somewhere no one could see us. Tobias came with him.

The three of us sat together against a candy oak tree. Khan picked out two Oran Berries and handed them to us. I held my knees to my chest.

“What was that?!”

“That was an emotional reaction-” Khan began.

“I mean that _thing_! That _creature_!”

Khan blinked. For a moment he was lost for words.

“It… It looked like a human. Alex-”

“That’s exactly what that Charizard called him.”

“There are _loads_ of people called Alex!” said Tobias. “That doesn’t mean they're all the same- person!” he finished. He had stopped himself before saying “Pokémon”.

I shook my head. “No. No. That was _me_. I _know_ it was, you have to believe to me! I’ve felt this from the moment I woke up in Oran Berry Cave! This,” I held up my hands, “isn’t me! These aren't my hands! This isn't my body! I’m not a Pokémon! _I’m not a Pokémon!_ ”

Tobias held my hands in his own. Stubby fingers, small palms, thick wrists, short arms. So much like mine.

“None of this is me,” I said, “I don’t recognise this body.”

“It sounds like you’re describing evolution,” said Khan.

“And doesn’t that tell you something?! I’ve never evolved! _How_ would I know what that feels like?!”

Khan and Tobias exchanged a look. I pulled my hands away from Tobias’ and stood. I paced back and forth with them resting on my head.

“What was that human doing? What was that flash?”

“Whatever it was _trying_ to do,” Khan said, “it didn’t work.”

“But what _was_ it trying to do?”

He didn’t answer me.

“Khan.”

“It… looked like it was trying to destroy the it. And by “it”…” He paused for a moment, struggling for the words. “The Pillar Oak holds the magic of Ruby Forest. If the creature’s attack had succeeded, the whole ecosystem would have rotted away in a matter of days. It seems like a safe guess that that’s the Varias are trying to do.”

I stopped pacing. I lowered my arms. “Would anyone have gotten hurt?” I said slowly. “Any of the Pokémon?”

“There would have been a cost,” Khan said, sombrely. “No way around it. The shockwave _alone_ would have decimated everything surrounding it. You saw what it did to the Charizard that struck it. I can’t say what would have happened to the rest of them.”

Just beyond us, a Gloom was calling for his children. Two Oddish popped out of the ground and ran into his arms.

“I could have hurt so many people,” I said.

“But you didn’t,” said Tobias.

“But I did! I hurt _you_!”

“Alex, it was an _accident_. It happens to every Pokémon.”

I slumped down against the tree. Tobias put an arm around me. I rested my head on his shoulder.

“We don’t… _know_ your name is really Alex,” he suggested. “We found that robe on you-”

“That was the tunic the human was wearing. The exact same one.”

“Sooo, maybe you ended up with the tunic? That doesn’t mean _you’re_ somehow the human in the memory. We still only have bits and pieces of information. We can’t assume anything just based on what we saw. We’ll find out what really happened.”

“What if what really happened is exactly what I think it is?”

“… Then we’ll find a way to come to terms with it.

Another Gloom came bearing gifts: two Apples, an an Oran Berry. The Oddish hopped up and down with excitement. The first Gloom kissed her on the cheek.

“Why would you still want me around if it turns out that I’m a bad person?” I said.

“But you’re not a bad person! I _know_ you!”

“Do you?”

The wind hissed through the leaves above our heads.

Tobias shivered. “Xerneas, it’s cold. Do we have any of that powder left? We need to light a…”

Our eyes were drawn to the distance. Faint purple wisps were seeping through the trees. Ghost-like, but strangely alive. Like fire.

“I’ve seen that before…” I said.

“Gods _damnit_!”

Just behind us, Fortis stamped his foot on the ground.

“These are all useless! You said I would feel something!”

“ _If_ you do actually have a connection to something here,” Ewan said, rubbing the back of his paw.

“Ewan,” I said out loud.

The Furret turned around. I ducked behind the tree. After a few moments I peeked around to see…

He looked fine.

“He’s okay?”

Tobias flipped open the Items Bag. The last Reviver Seed, now a pale beige.

“You’re going to have to talk to him,” said Khan.

“He’s right,” said Tobias, “there’s no use… beating around the bush.”

“Tobias.”

“I learned it from him!”

I took a deep breath. I forced myself to walk over to him, head lowered to my stumpy little claws. Everyone was watching me carefully, and I can’t blame them. What if I went off again? They had to be careful.

Ewan was talking animatedly. I opened my mouth to speak.

“I know where we can go!” he said to me.

I blinked. “What?”

“There’s somewhere we’ll be safe from the Guardians! But we won't be able to stay there for long. Eventually they’ll find out who we are and that we’re not wanted here. But we’ll be safe for a few days, at least, and we can decide what to do from there.”

“If you are referring to the Burrowwilds,” said Roy, “that windfall was lost to us quite a long time ago.”

“Maybe for the Forest Fires,” said Bucky. I blinked, and suddenly a Sawsbuck stood in his place, “but not for, er…”

“Tom Ado,” said Harriet.

“Exactly! If we change our names and hide our identities, we can pass as different Pokémon! It’s not like they’ll have our exactly markings memorised.”

“Sounds like a good plan,” said Fortis. “Any tips, Professor?”

“I’m sure you can manage it on your own, _Fortis_ ,” Khan said, stepping over a bush to join us.

“But he’s not Fortis!” said Harriet. “He’s Caesar! Caesar Salad!”

“I already have a fake name, Harriet,” said Fortis.

“ _Anne Chovy_ ,” she corrected.

“We can figure out our cover story on the way, lads,” said Ewan. “I can open up the tunnel from here, it’ll recognise my pawprint. It’s half a day’s walk, so we’ll have plenty of time.”

“We’re not leaving until we find out where my parents are.”

“We might have have a choice, Fortis,” the Furret said softly.

“We have a few minutes at best before Ditto’s friends come looking for him,” said Alana.

Fortis closed his eyes. After a brief pause, he walked to another part of the field. A Time Flower across from him glowed, brighter than the others, brighter still the closer he came. He placed his hands against it. The petals unfurled, and an image appeared before us.

Two Dancer Marowak locked in battle. The male parried the female’s Shadow Ball and swept his across her legs to trip her. She swung her bone into the male’s side. He kicked it out of her hand and pressed his foot against her throat. The Time Flower closed.

Fortis ground a beak. He closed his eyes and took a deep, slow breath.

“ _Godsdamnit!!_ ”

The fires at his wrists flared up. He threw his swords to the ground in a rage. One of them stuck two inches deep into the soil. The other landed just an inch away from another Time Flower.

Fortis stared at it.

“Oh just open it for the love of Dialga,” said Harriet.

Fortis went down on one knee. He touched the flower. The petals unfurled.

A fire-orange Torchic was running through the trees. Someone else was following close behind him.

A vine snapped shut around the Torchic’s feet. He screamed as he was yanked into the air. A Victreebel tossed him, mouth stretched open to swallow him whole. The other Pokémon, disguised by a long black cloak, surrounded themselves in seafoam-coloured energy and summoned a glowing tail of light that smacked the Flycatcher Pokémon across the face sent her flying back through the rowan trees. The Pokémon grabbed the Torchic before he landed and ran with him in their arms.

The light was getting brighter. The red was starting to fade. A stunning orange glow surrounded them both. The Barrier opened.

And then a Noivern burst out of the trees and grabbed the Pokémon by the back of the neck. They dropped the Torchic to the ground.

“ _Run!_ ” they cried as they struggled to protect their throat. The Noivern was using Leech Life to drain their energy, biting down rapidly wherever she could. “ _Don’t look back! Just run!_ ”

The Torchic hesitated for a split second; in that moment another Noivern appeared and aimed Air Slash, cutting him across the face. The Torchic ran. The Barrier closed behind him.

The vision ended.

“Was… Was that-” Harriet began.

“Open the tunnel, Ewan.”

Without another word, Ewan found a flat space of ground and placed his paws against it. A hole opened up before him. We followed him down.

It was surprisingly airy. The earth was clean, and smooth, aside from patches of plantlife growing here and there. A pale-brown Marble Geodude hopped down the tunnel, gave us a curious look, then passed us by without comment.

I looked from Ewan to Tobias, silently begging for help.

“The sooner you talk to him, the easier it will be. Guilt isn’t something you want weighing you down at a time like this, believe me. It’ll only get you both in even deeper trouble.”

“Can you tell I’ve been crying?”

He spat water into my face.

“Agh! Tobias!”

“Not anymore you can’t. Go on, he’s looking at you.

I took a deep breath. Head down, I jogged ahead.

“Hey, Ewan?”

He looked at me.

“I just want to say I’m sorry for what I did and I…”

“It’s okay, Alex. You don’t have say any more than that.”

“Huh?”

“I mean it. I didn't expect to get through this journey without a couple of bruises or burns here and there. Don’t let it weight you down.”

“… Are you sure?”

“That’s a fascinating thing you have on you. Would you mind if I had a look?”

“Oh, er, of course.” I held it out for him.

“Is it going to…?”

“No, no. It’s dormant.”

He gently took it from me and held it in his paws. “Ah, it’s warm.”

“It gets hotter the more I’m, you know, feeling.”

He quickly handed it back. “It’s a strange sensation. Holding it, like.”

“You’re telling me.”

“Should we be worried about that thing going off while we’re all cramped together in this tunnel?” said Alana.

“I think it’ll be a while before I have the strength to summon a Smokescreen.”

_Crunch. Crunch._

We span around, all at once, claws raised and fangs bared.

Susie the Deerling stood ten feet away. Moltres, she had gotten so close before we’d heard.

“Good grief,” said Striker. “Turn the other way, kid, your mommy’s not gonna be down here.”

She frowned. “I don’t have a “mommy”, and I’m not a kid!”

“What are you doing here?” Fortis asked her.

She shifted her feet. “I heard-”

“Were you followed here?” Bucky interrupted, looking over her shoulder down the tunnel.

Susie shook her head.

“I would ask that you cut this short,” said Roy, trying to urge forward, “idle chatter is no longer a luxury we can afford.”

“That means _go away_ ,” Striker said to the Deerling. His tone was harsh, but there was something more than just anger in it.

“I want to come with you!” she said.

“You can’t,” Fortis told her.

“Why not?!”

“Because it's dangerous.” There was frustration in his eyes, but his tone was level. 

She raised her chin. “I’m not afraid of danger!”

“Are you afraid of being sent to an early grave?” said the Staraptor.

“Striker!” Alana exclaimed.

“She's not even listening!”

“I overheard them saying they were going to hurt you,” Susie said.

“That’s why you need to leave,” Fortis said. “Do you understand?”

She stomped her foot on the ground in defiance. “I’m not going to run away! I’m going to stand up for what's right!”

Fortis put a hand to his forehead.

Harriet frowned. “When exactly did you overhear this, Susie?”

The Deerling didn’t make eye-contact. “My dad's friends were talking about it. They didn’t know I was listening.”

Fortis’ expression changed. Now there was even more at stake.

I jumped. Was there someone above our heads? Maybe it was just a wild Pokémon passing by. Maybe.

Fortis got down on one knee in front of her. His tone changed dramatically. “Look at me. Do you think by coming with us you’re doing something noble? Something brave? Because you're not. We’re the bad guys. You're not “doing the right thing” by helping us, you're only putting your dad and his friends in danger. Because if they find us here and try to stop us, we’ll cut them down without a second’s thought.” He placed a hand on the pommel of his sword. Susie took a step back.

Harriet folded her wings. “Don’t drive her away, Ketsuron. If she wants to join the bad guys we could always use another cargo Pokémon. What do you say, kid? Want to join Team… Mean?”

Susie shook her head. Harriet leaned down closer.

“Then get lost.”

Susie bolted down the tunnel away from us.

Roy flicked his tail and ordered us to keep moving.

“That was quick thinking,” Fortis said to Harriet. “But “Team Mean?” Gods, you’d make a terrible villain.”

“Haha, why?”

“You have to be smart to be a villain.”

She snorted. “If you were the hero that wouldn’t be a problem. I mean seriously, _Ketsuron_? That's not even a name!”

“Neither is my _real_ name, but you never had a problem with that.”

“I did, but I was trying to be nice.”

“That was you being _nice_?”

Harriet punched him in the shoulder. Fortis carried on as if he hadn’t felt it.

“I must commend you for forethought,” said Roy. “If the child had stayed with us, she would have provided the Guardians with an easy way of tracking us down.”

“And she’d be in serious trouble herself,” said Striker. “And by “serious trouble” I mean…” he drew his wing over his throat.

“Striker!” Alana reprimanded.

“Her parents probably would have found her first,” said Khan.

“I’ve interacted with her father,” said Fortis, “I can’t be certain which would be worse.”

“The Guardians,” said Striker, and this time he was deadly serious, “the Guardians would be worse.”

“They wouldn't just punish the kid, either,” said Eliza, “the parents would be equally screwed. And by screwed, I do mean…” she didn't imitate Striker, but the message was clear.

“She risked all that to try and help us…” said Bucky.

“And almost brought them right to us,” said Striker.

“Don’t be a jackass,” said Eliza. “She was just a kid. She didn't know any better.”

The Staraptor exhaled. “I’m just glad you drove her off when you did. Hopefully we'll be able to ditch this trail before they interrogate her for our location.”

“They wouldn’t,” Ewan blurted out.

Striker laughed mirthlessly. “They would.”

_Crunch, crunch, crunch._ We craned our heads up. Pokémon were scurrying around above us. A lot of Pokémon, it sounded like. Khan urged us on and the others picked up the pace.

I stopped walking. I turned to look back down the tunnel.

“Alex?” said Tobias.

I ran.

Alana’s Psychic held me in place.

“Stop doing that!” I barked.

Khan pushed past the others and whacked me around the head with his fin.

“Are you trying to get yourself killed?!”

“Easy, buddy, easy,” said Bucky.

“I’m trying to protect you!” I said.

“You are trying to be a hero,” said the Garchomp, “that is not the same thing.”

“You really have changed,” Alana said dryly.

“Yeah,” he said sharply, without looking at her, “I have.”

He walked around to talk to me face-to-face.

“What did you think was going to happen when you ran off like that?! Did you think we were just going to let you go?!”

“If that was an option we would have just handed you over in the first place,” said Striker.

“Why don’t you?!” I demanded. “You don’t have to put yourselves in danger for me! I’m not even a Pokémon! I’m just some… monster!”

The others looked pained. Even the Forest Fires looked sympathetic. Harriet opened her beak, then closed it again.

I don't blame them. What could any of them have said in a situation like that?

Ewan put a paw on my back. “Let’s just get you somewhere safe and then we can talk, all right?” He urged me gently along.

“What happens if the Guardians track us all the way to the Burrowwilds?” I asked.

“They might well do that,” said Ewan. “But I can’t image they’d know who I am, so it’d be a while before anyone made the connection in their heads. We’ll leave as soon as we can. We can ask for a small group of missionaries to escort us through Watchmon’s Tunnel, and hopefully by the time the Guardians start asking around for us we’ll be gone.”

“How have you been close friends with these Pokémon the whole time and never mentioned it?” said Fortis. “Do you realise how much trouble we could have avoided by using these tunnels?”

“Either that or we'd have brought some real trouble down on top of our heads. The Burrowwilds may be more genial than the Guardians but don't go thinking they're any more open to outsiders. Besides…” He hesitated.

“He had no reason to believe we weren’t criminals,” I said. “I guess you were right to be cautious.”

“I still don't get why you needed us in the first place,” Fortis said. “You had a way out of the Forest and Pokémon to take you there, why did you wait so long?”

“… I wanted to feel safe,” Ewan said without meeting his eye. “They could have taken me there, sure, but what about after that? Where would I go? I can’t battle, Fortis. My strongest move is _Quick Attack_. I’m just a Furret. I’m useless on my own.”

That surprised him. He made an effort to meet his eye, and his tone softened: “I was a Torchic when I left. I could fight, but I wasn’t _strong_. I was alone out there, for a long, long time. I’d left my parents behind. I had no one. I didn’t know who could be a friend, so I treated everyone as a foe. I didn’t know what I was supposed to do with myself.”

“So what did you do?”

A small smile. “I ended up in the marshes. I think at one point I turned east and just kept walking. I ended up wandering through a Mystery Dungeon, a place called Lime-Green Wetlands, where I was knocked out by the wild Pokémon. I wasn’t strong enough to fight back or fast enough to run away. I was soaked into submission and kicked into the water. I was seconds away from drowning. Then Lord Finley found me.”

“Mickey?” said Tobias.

“His father. Ford Finley. He took me in, he gave me a purpose. I trained to become a part of his personal guard, and I served him until the day he died. Then I served his son after that. I still do,” he quickly corrected himself.

“I can’t guard anyone,” Ewan said, “I can hardly even guard myself.”

I swallowed.

“That’s not my point,” Fortis said. “My point is that you don’t need to have your whole future planned out in advance. There’s countless different things a Pokémon can do with their life.”

“It doesn’t have to be fighting, either!” said Tobias. “Pokémon are more than just their use in battle!”

He rubbed the back of his paw. “Even if I’m a Forest Pokémon? Doesn’t the new King hate us?”

“Why are you worried about him?” said Striker. “He’s trapped in the Pillar.”

“Yeah, and it was my job to free him,” I said.

The air stilled. Everyone had known that that was our reason for coming here. But now everyone knew the truth about King Dreigo, too.

“This “king” ordered that “human” to destroy the Forest,” said Roy. “He puts us all in mortal peril. We may be protecting Pokémon by leaving him there.”

“We’d be leaving him there to die!” said Eliza. “And there are _six_ of them!”

“There’ll be far more lives on the line if we let them go,” said Alana.

“What happened to our _purpose_?!” said Bucky. “It’s our duty to protect Pokémon from Ruby Forest! Otherwise what are we _for_?!”

“That’s very noble, Bucky,” said Striker, “but are we really going to risk our lives for Pokémon who would happily see us dead in their place?”

“You’re operating under the assumption that if we let these Pokémon perish the rest of us will be safe,” said Khan, “but Dreigo isn’t the leader of a small party of renegades, he’s a _king_. There has to be _thousands_ of Pokémon behind him!”

“And a brother to succeed him,” Fortis added. “From what I've heard Zweil Varia is far crueler than his predecessor.”

“If he found out we let his brother die when it was _my_ job to protect him, what would that mean for us?” I said.

“Maybe we could change their minds,” said Ewan.

“I highly doubt that,” said Fortis.

“He’s right!” said Tobias. “Think about it! If Dreigo found out he was _saved_ by a group of _Ruby Pokémon_ , wouldn’t have _have_ to admit that there are Ruby Pokémon worth protecting?”

Harriet had been unusually quiet the whole time we'd been speaking. Finally, prompted by Tobias’ words, she spoke up:

“If Alex ends up dying in this place; and we can assume if he does, Zweil Varia _will_ find out about it, since his being here is apparently public knowledge-”

She looked to Khan, but he didn't flinch.

“-He’ll be made into a martyr. People will _riot_ in his name. But if we tell them what really happened in here, what you guys did for us, what you did for _Alex_ , they won’t be able to deny you. I think Ewan and Tobias are right. I think we _can_ change their minds.”

_Crunch, crunch, crunch._ We looked up. The sound was getting louder, faster. It moved east, towards the tunnel entrance we’d come through.

“But we have to make sure Ruby Forest doesn't kill them first.”

My name was Booster. I was born and raised in Full Moon Village in the junglelands, and was now travelling with Bruiser, a Squirtle from Woodsdock Delta in the marshes. We abandoned the idea of being Team Hope. It was best to leave the Academy out of it altogether.

We had our cover story. It was time to meet our new allies.

The soil turned brown. The plants turned green. White violets sprouted from the tunnel walls and brushed over the taller Pokémon’s heads.

Ewan led us to an unremarkable patch of land. He pressed his paws against the ground. We waited.

It glowed beneath his touch and traced lines around his paws, the ground shook gently, and a winding staircase rose from the earth. We followed him up.

We stepped out onto thin grass shaded under drooping sycamore trees. The Barrier glinted above our heads, keeping us where we were. But we could see the world around us. Green grass, blue skies, white clouds.

“It’s beautiful out here…” said Alana.

“Have you ever seen the outside?” asked Fortis.

“I’ve seen it from the sky, a couple of times. But this is something else entirely.”

“The Burrowwild’s territory is attached to the Forest,” said Ewan. “You know when you see a bubble, and there’s another bubble attached to it? There’s nowhere else like this behind the Barrier.”

Eliza was poking at the bushes sprouting yellow flowers and purple flowers. She pricked her hand, pulled out the thorn and peered at it.

“It’s so _clear_ ,” said Striker.

“It’s so _green_ ,” said Roy.

Bucky was staring off to the north. Khan went to stand beside him.

“What did I tell you?”

“Hm?”

“About the World? It’s incredible, isn’t it?”

“It’s unbelievable,” said the Stantler. “Look at those _hills_! They’re _huge_!”

“The Halo Mountains,” Khan said. “I’m not sure you’d like it there.”

“Why not?”

“They’re dangerous, and they’re magical. You’ve lived in one Mystery Dungeon your whole life, maybe it’s time to see what else is out there.”

Khan left to stretch his legs. Bucky just stood there, watching.

I was facing south. The hills rolled down for miles and miles, and eventually towns and villages started to crop up past the Barrier. We could see Mt. Burgeon from here. And there was Emerald Town! The roof of the Academy poked up behind the green-and-orange apricot trees. Just past it, along the horizon, was the deep-blue sea.

“I’d really taken this for granted, you know?” I said.

The sun shone unfiltered down on our heads. Tobias raised a hand to shield my eyes.

“All this land used to belong to the Burrowwilds,” said Ewan, directing our sights to a spot of land over fifty miles away. “From this point here all the way down to the poppy fields. It was a kingdom in its own right.”

“What happened to it?” I asked.

“War,” he said simply. “When Ruby Forest started to grow beyond control, Pokémon from all over the outside world gathered together and vowed to put an end to its spread. The Burrowwilds fought alongside the Forest Pokémon. That’s when the Barrier was created. The Forest suffered greatly; but their allies took a much bigger hit. The Cavern’s all that’s left of them now. Hundreds of thousands of Pokémon. Down to five.”

“There are five thousand Pokémon down there?”

“That’s right. So you’d best be on your best behaviour.”

Ewan ducked below the bushes and placed his paws on the earth. Patterns of light spread across the ground. He took a few steps back. A spiral staircase appeared. We followed him down.

It took us deep below the surface into an enormous, echoing hallway. At the end were two huge brown doors with bronze handles, carved with countless different ground-type Pokémon.

Ewan knocked. Echoing, then silence.

The door opened a crack. A Mudsdale’s eye appeared. She was regularly coloured.

Ewan smiled his most charming smile. “Is that Alma I see behind that door? It’s me, Ewan! How have you been, love?”

“Who are these Pokémon?”

Ewan rattled off our fake names and identities.

The door closed. Ewan held up a paw, and we waited.

The door reopened. Six large ground-types stood along either side of the tunnel, fixing us with an intense, unblinking gaze. Alma led us inside.

Burrowwild Cavern was a vast cave, at least fifty feet tall and fifty feet wide, with around thirty tunnels branching off in all directions, a platform in the centre where Pokémon bustled past each other or stood off to the sat to chat with one another, and bridges made of both living root and carved wood to connect them all. A sorcerer’s ceiling gave them a view of the sky past the earth above.

We were taken down one of the ground-floor tunnels to the Burrowwild healers. The healers worked their magic on us and we were led to our beds. Despite everything, I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the straw.

We ate in a communal hall, surrounded by Burrowwilds. The food was surprisingly good, I commented.

“How were you expected it to taste?” asked the Baltoy across from me.

“I dunno, kinda… earthy?”

“Ha. Hahaha. Ha.”

We had some time to wander around while Ewan spoke to his friends about us. Tobias and I milled about in the main cavern. The air was clear, filtered through pipes leading up to the surface.

“There are so many ground-types here,” said Tobias, “I mean so many different _kinds_.”

“No Ruby Pokémon, either.”

“I surprised we never met _any_ of them ‘til today,” Tobias said.

“I guess these guys are more…”

“Don’t do it.”

“Underground.”

“I hate you.”

When Tobias found out they even had a swimming pool, his jaw had dropped. He asked if I wanted him to stay, but I practically drove him away. He deserved a chance to unwind. I stayed where I was, and remained the exact same degree of wound.

I just paced around, watching the Pokémon pass me by. I can't say what exactly I was thinking about.

But that night I found myself staring at the ceiling for Moltres knows how long, not moving, hardly even blinking; until Tobias’ voice roused finally me:

“Hey.”

I turned to look at him.

“Is it about… that fight you got into?”

I nodded. He shifted onto his side.

“You must have thought you were doing the right thing.”

“ _Are you kid_ -“ I stopped myself, took a deep breath. “Sorry. But… no. No, I don't think so, Tobias.”

“I know you’re a good Pokémon, Alex.”

I laughed. I wasn’t even a Pokémon.

“You would never hurt anyone else on purpose.”

“I’d like to think that. I really would.”

“You were… You were trying to protect your friends.”

“Even you don’t sound convinced by that, bud.”

Silence.

“For what it’s worth… I understand what you’re going through.” It was Bucky. “I’ve had my own run-ins with… _them_. I don’t blame you for what you did. Honestly, I’d be lying if I said the idea'd never crossed my mind as well.”

None of the other Forest Forest were there. Ewan was off socialising, Harriet was enjoying the pool, Fortis was at the training room, and the other Forest Fires were watching the entrances. Roy had sent Bucky down because he “looked like he needed it the most”. He didn’t. It was to watch us. Obviously.

It was just the three of us, and twelve or so of the Burrowwilds.

“Just keep your nose clean while you’re here, yeah? Otherwise you really _will_ end up hurting someone.”

“But what if _their friends_ come for me? Then we’ll _all_ be in danger. I don’t want any of you to get hurt because of some stupid, horrible thing _I_ did. What if they find us, _Tom_?”

The Stantler’s face was sombre. “We do what we have to do to defend ourselves. But no more. Understood?”

“I’m not going to hurt anyone!” I said.

“That’s not what I meant! It’s not. I just know that young Pokémon don’t always know when to back down.”

“Thanks Dad,” I said.

Tobias gave a supportive chuckle.

Bucky hesitated a moment. “Hey. Could you do me a favour?”

“Yeah?” I said.

“Don't mention this to the others, yeah? They’d just worry about me. They can be pretty protective, you know?”

“Um, yeah, of course. Tell them what?”

Bucky smiled. “Thanks.” He closed his eyes.

Tobias and I shared a surreptitious look.

After he retreated to his shell, I lay watching him. Not for too long, that would be weird. Just long enough to feel compelled to say something more.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered.

“Hm?” came the voice from inside.

“Nothing.”

I stared up at the ceiling, lit by my tail and the glow of the phosphorescent plants growing from the cavern walls. Orange and blue.

We had no plan. Aside from “get out”, which was not the most comprehensive strategy.

I got up to pace. There were a few nocturnal Pokémon going about their business in the main cavern.

Four Pokémon carried in a crateful of shiny red apples. There were enough to feed a Snorlax, and they all looked freshly picked. Pokémon watched with anxious anticipation. The strongmon put the crate down and stretched, while a grey-and-black Dravite Graveler handed them out. I got in line.

The Graveler placed one in my hand and waved me along. I sat on one of the living balconies fronting a tunnel leading to Moltres knew where, next to one of the Pokémon who’d carried the cart. A grey Onix. She held her apple in her tail and pecked at it carefully to make it last for four bites.

“I’ve missed this,” she said to me, “fresh food. Without _bug bites_ all over it.”

“Are you from the Forest?” I asked.

“Haha, no, there are no Onix in Ruby Forest “proper”. I’m a Burrowwild missionary, you see; I spend long spells in the Forest tunnels, watching out for Pokémon gone astray. My name’s Bell.”

“Booster” I said.

She swallowed the rest of the apple. She saw the Fang around my neck and lifted it with her tail.

“That’s a lovely little thing.”

“It’s a Chariz-Fang,” I said, “it boosts the power of Charmander, Charmeleon, and Charizard.”

“Where did you find it?”

“A friend gave it to me.”

“On the outside?”

I nodded. I relayed the whole fake backstory. It was more like reading from a script than having a conversation. Bell didn’t stop me, though, until an Excadrill on the balcony above us called her name.

When she left, I sat on the ledge for a while, Pokéwatching. A West Sea Gastrodon watering the plants, a Swinub dusting the floor with a little brush in his mouth, and, oddly enough, a cherry-red Charjabug, fixing the wheels of a cart.

Khan sat down beside me. I didn’t look him in the eye.

“You must be feeling pretty rough right now,” he said. For what it’s worth, I know what it’s like to have conflicting feelings about your past.”

“Conflicting?!” I snapped back. “There’s no “conflict” about it! I’m not _confused_ about how I feel about this! I feel like a Moltres-damned fucking _garbage fire_!”

“So are you still going back?”

That took me by surprise. For a moment I didn't even move.

I rested by chin on the bannister. I watched the Pokémon work.

I lowered my voice. “What’s going to happen to this place?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think anyone does. It won’t exist, if _he_ gets his way. Even if he changes his mind about a scorched-earth policy, I doubt he’ll be convinced to leave any loose ends lying around. I don’t know what will happen to these Pokémon.”

“I need some time to think.” I said. “Can you leave me alone for a little while?”

Khan looked disappointed, but he forced a smile. He got to his feet and left without a word.

The main entrance doors opened again. A Numel walked in. A Sand-Cloaked Wormadam offered him an Apple which he accepted gratefully. He made a joke and the Wormadam laughed. A Diggersby came bounding over and lifted him up in a hug.

“You all right, lad?”

Ewan was standing beside next to me.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

He gestured behind him. The others were lined up and waiting, along with six other Pokémon: a Sneasel, a Slowbro, a Beheeyem, an Excadrill, a Gabite, and Bell, the Onix.

“We have our escorts,” he said. “It’s time to go.”


	14. Red Retribution

_“Get out.” - Gladion, Sun & Moon._

We left straight away. We’d been fully healed and we had plenty of food for the journey. The Burrowwilds had also provided twenty Reviver Seeds, free of charge. Bucky and Eliza had snuck away with three more for good measure. The Heracross handed them to me to place in my bag.

“How did you…?” I said.

Bucky’s antlers glowed. He winked at me.

Our escorts through Watchmon’s Tunnel were Georgie the Gabite, Aleisha the Sneasel, Kian the Slowbro, Miri the Excadrill, Ernestine the Beheeyem, and Bell, the Onix.

“You’re not tired?” I asked the Rock Snake Pokémon. “Didn’t you just come from a mission?”

“No need to worry,” she said with a smile, “I’m always eager to help out when I’m needed. Besides, my last mission was a joke.”

“We’ll arrive at our destination in approximately five days,” said the Beheeyem, “as long as this ends up being a non-combat mission for us.”

“You guys are Burrowwilds as well?” said Harriet, addressing the Green Pokémon.

“Who better to understand the needs of other non-ground-types?” said the Beheeyem.

“But why even come here in the first place?”

The air turned cold. Fortis pinched the ridge of his beak and shook his head.

“We’re… outlaws…” said Kian. “We… have… nowhere… else… to… go…”

“They gave us a second chance here,” said Aleisha. “Not that _any_ of this is your business _at all_.”

“Easy… Aleisha… easy…”

“You’re right, we’re not here to dredge up the past,” Khan said, giving Harriet a sharp look.

“Our Pokémon are not violent criminals,” said Miri. “We don’t let just anyone strut through those doors and call themselves one of us.”

“Burrowwilds have to prove themselves,” said the Sneasel. The Excadrill nodded.

“You can trust them, lads,” said Ewan. “The Burrowwilds are good Pokémon. They follow a code of honour.”

“A strict code of honour,” Miri said. “We do it for our own survival.”

“Why’s that?” asked Harriet.

“Because this work is dangerous. Without rules and without guidance and without _discipline_ , a bunch of _ground-types_ have no hope of surviving in the woods. And we’re running out of resources. Food, water, workable Pokémon; it’s happened to us before, especially in the last ten years… and there’s always a cost. Right now the Forest is what’s keeping us alive.”

“There’s a cost to that too,” said Georgie, “we pretty much _live_ under the Guardians’ heels.”

She glared over he shoulder at him. Georgie averted his eyes and tightened his jaw.

A Silicobra slithered by silently. A Quagsire saluted the missionaries as she passed. A Gible and a Mudbray skipped down the tunnel. The Gabite smiled.

“Freddy!”

The Gible rolled his eyes and walked right past him. The Mudbray whispered something in his ear and he laughed. Georgie sighed.

“Hey,” Khan said, stepping out in front of the Gible. “He said hello to you. Are you gonna say hello back?”

Freddy swallowed. “Hi, Georgie,” he said, then turned and raced back down the tunnel with the Mudbray on his heels.

“… Thank you,” George said, not looking him in the eye.

“Don’t mention it,” Khan said with a smile.

We camped in the tunnel that night. Fortis and I both had complaints about the lack of air, but Miri had insisted that we stay underground.

“It’s for our safety,” she said. That was the end of that discussion.

We carried on through the next day without seeing the sun once. It wasn’t long before even the Forest Fires were drooping. We hadn’t had a single encounter with a Forest Pokémon, since so few walked the tunnels; we hadn’t had any arguments either, for that matter; but even the strongest among us were desperate to see the surface again.

We were coming to the end of our journey. Georgie looked physically ill.

“Suck it up, kid,” said Aleisha. “You have a responsibility here, just like everyone else.”

The Gabite eyes were still directed downwards. “I know…” he said. “I can handle it.”

“See that he does, Aleisha,” said Ernestine, the Beheeyem. The Sneasel nodded.

We exited from under the petrified corpse of a Trevenant. Tobias made the mistake of looking over his shoulder; he yelped and ducked down into his shell.

“ _That’s_ disgusting,” said Harriet.

“What?” said Khan. “Haven’t you even seen a park bench?”

“Uh, yeah, but never one _made_ of the Pokémon who donated!”

“Well it’s better a plaque.”

“Is it?!”

“Quiet down!” Miri barked.

We had scurried out of the earth expecting warmth and daylight, and none of us had bothered to conceal our disappointment. Fog still hung heavy in the air, the sun was already setting, and the coast oak trees pressed in so close together let hardly any light through, leaving us in almost complete darkness.

But now, it was getting brighter.

I put a hand to the side of my head.

“Alex?” Tobias said. I didn’t respond.

The fog was thick, thicker than we'd ever seen it. Even Tobias was walking blind, and the Forest Fires themselves struggled; the Burrowwilds were the only ones with a clear idea of where they were going.

I stumbled on something. My vision was clear but it didn’t seem like my brain was absorbing any of it.

My memory is skipping.

Everything was turning red.

I cried out.

I put my hands to my face and forced my eyes open.

I finally saw it for myself.

It stretched a hundred feet into the air, maybe more. It glowed an angry red, a blazing light even through the blinding fog, surrounded by a wide, circular stone platform carved with dots and lines in a bizarre pattern. Oak trees surrounding it crawled over one another, bent away from the centre, to form a wide clearing around it, roots and branches twisted grotesquely, like ropes. The canopy was torn open, and the Barrier was in clear view above our heads. Yet somehow, no sunlight broke through.

“The Pillar Oak,” said Khan.

“Alex,” said Tobias, catching me just before I fell to my knees, “Alex, speak to me!”

“Why in the name of the Gods couldn’t we have walked around it?” Fortis demanded; he sounded almost despairing.

“That would have been far out of our way,” said Ernestine.

“Out of our way?! Are you _morons_?! Did Ewan tell you the kind of situation we’re in?! This is the most dangerous place we could possibly be right now!”

“Correct.”

The Forest jumped to life. We were surrounded by what, by a rough estimate, but have been fifty Pokémon. Powerful Pokémon. Scyther. Scolipede. Dancer Marowak. Furret, Ribombee, Azumarill, Yanma, Yanmega, Dunsparce, Sudowoodo, Ursaring, Mightyena, Galvantula, Swellow, Pawniard, Bisharp, Breloom, Vigoroth, Slaking, Ninjask, Medicham, Heracross, Staraptor, Luxray, a male Meowstic, Stantler, Drapion, Carnivine, Sableye, Tangrowth, Durant, Liepard, Palpitoad, Seismitoad, Beautifly, Dustox, Noivern, Escavalier, Accelgor, Tsareena, Aerodactyl, Foongus, Amoongus, Druddigon, Goodra, Blaziken, Larvesta, Volcarona, Sawsbuck, Ditto. All Ruby-coloured.

The Booster Badge glowed.

The Scyther pressed his blade into the space between Tobias’ neck and shoulders. I was being held by the Sudowoodo on my left, the Dancer Marowak on my right, and the Seismitoad behind me. It took six of them to pin Khan down. Fortis’ swords were ripped away from him.

“We’re outnumbered five to one!” Harriet cried. Vines wrapped around her trident and pulled her head back. The Ursaring pressed her foot against her back and forced her onto her knees.

“We faced the same odds against the Colossal Colony,” said Eliza, “before Dracen showed up.”

“This is nothing like the Colossal Colony!” said Striker. “And Dracen is _pinned to the floor_!”

Eliza, horn held in the other Heracross’ grasp, looked over her shoulder at Khan. The Garchomp look utterly ashamed. He gave another heave and tried to push himself to his feet but the Sawsbuck stamped him down.

“Do you want to explain what the hell is going on, Ewan?!” said Alana.

Ewan was speechless. The Luxray was holding him up the scruff of his neck. He was trembling head-to-tail.

“Alex,” Tobias hissed, “the _Seeds_.”

Arms at me side, I discreetly held out my fingers. Three. We had three Seeds. Ernestine had been carrying the others.

A teleportation beam appeared in front of the Pillar Oak. A Forest Dragonite stepped out of the red light. He had regular colouring.

“Achilleus,” said Ewan.

The Dragonite gave him a brief glance. There was recognition, but no pity. Ewan's connections weren’t going to help us here. The Dragon Pokémon stepped off the platform, and looked down at me with utter disgust.

“Hello again.”

“What-” I began. He picked me up by the throat.

“Alex!”

Tobias ducked his head into his shell and used Rapid Spin to knock the Scyther away. A Garchomp with two dots for eyes kicked him to the ground. Beside him, the Sawsbuck was sapping Khan’s energy with glowing horns.

“D-Dad…?”

The two Pokémon whirled around.

“Susie?!” said the Sawsbuck. “For heaven’s sake, what are you doing here?!”

“I wanted to come on the mission…”

“Deal with your offspring, Japeth,” said Achilleus.

The Sawsbuck ran over and shoved her, nudged her, jabbed her with his antlers. She wouldn’t budge.

“Susie, please, you have to move. Susie, move! _Please!_ Lucas, help me!”

He looked to the Garchomp with the plain face. Lucas moved to help restrain his daughter but Susie headbutted the Sawsbuck in the shoulder and kicked the Ditto away with her front hooves.

I stabbed the Dragonite in the arm with Metal Claw. It didn’t work; he only tightened his grip.

“You’re starting to piss me off, kid.”

“Why are you doing this?” I choked.

It was a stupid question. I understood why they were doing this. They knew who I was. And so did I.

I was Sir Alex Albion.

The Pillar Oak’s glow intensified.

Achilles dropped me to the ground. Before I could run the orange-and-yellow blast of a Hyper Beam swallowed me. I opened my mouth but no audible sound came out. The beam died. The Reviver Seed glowed.

Achilleus waited. I tried to run but the Galvantula’s Electro Web pinned me to the ground. After a few seconds to recharge, Hyper Beam fired again. The beam died. The Reviver Seed glowed. Achilleus waited.

Susie rammed her head into his leg, distracting him for a second. I tucked and rolled and hid myself with Smokescreen. It didn’t work. The Mightyena landed on top of me and pinned me the floor.

Achilleus raised his fist and charged Focus Punch. Susie stood frozen. In the three-point-three seconds it takes a Focus Punch to charge, Fortis pulled free of his restraints, claws tearing his jacket to shreds, raised the two daggers hidden inside it and cut down the Carnivine and the Noivern in front of him. He countered Focus Punch with Fire Punch, the daggers still in hand. He was overpowered, and the punch met him in the chest and knocked to the ground, but the blade had left a clean red cut across the Dragonite’s hand.

Achilleus sucked at the blood. Fortis was pushing himself to his feet but the Dragonite decked him in the face, making blood spray from his beak. With his other hand he grabbed him by the jaw and slammed his head against the trunk of a tree.

“ _Stop!_ ” Harriet screamed. “ _You’re going to kill him!_ ”

Susie came running at him, screaming at the top of her lungs, head lowered. The Dragonite knocked her to the ground with one clean _slap_. Tears welled up in the child’s eyes and a look of pure terror filled her face. Yet still she climbed, shakily, to her feet.

Achilleus charged Focus Punch.

Lucas Transformed into a Seismitoad and grabbed him by the arms. Achilleus span around and Focus Punched Lucas in the stomach then kicked him to the ground. Khan broke the Guardian Stantler's nose with his Brick Break and bucked the other five in the moment the red stream of blood caught their attention. I drove both Claws as hard as I could into my attackers chest, kicked and rolled free. The Pillar glowed and his eyes turned red and his voice was amplified:

“ _Attack!_ ”

The Guardians had had a tight hold on us. Now all at once they were trying to rip us apart. I ran from the Mightyena to be hit in the nose by the Pawniard’s Feint Attack. He Slashed, I tried to block with my Claws but failed. I retaliated with Flamethrower. He dodged.

Tobias fired Water Gun but the Sharp Blade Pokémon cut through it with his own Metal Claw. He ducked into his shell to use Rapid Spin, the Azumarill hit him with Aqua Tail.

Khan’s Dragon Rush ran them both down. Achilleus charged at us, head lowered, dark-blue energy forming around us.

“Alana!” Khan cried.

Suddenly Tobias and I were surrounded by a pink glow. Then we were hurled back into the bushes, far from the fight. Khan crossed his fins to block the Dragonite’s Dragon Rushed. It failed, the Khan was rammed into the upright end of an oak tree.

Striker’s Close Combat countered three Pokémon at the same time. Alana’s Psychic lifted the Scolipede and hurled him, taking several of the Guardians down with him. Eliza’s Double Team created countless duplicates, disordering them. Bucky’s Solar Beam swallowed several of them whole. Roy’s Thunderbolt struck the Aerodactyl out of the sky.

Japeth fired Energy Ball and the Ditto, in the form of a Volcarona, used Hurricane, firing at any Pokémon to come near them. Susie cowered behind them.

Khan was hit with Silver Wind from the Beautifly and the Dustox and Rock Throw from the Sudowoodo while trying to dodge Achilleus’ Wing Attack. He retaliated with Fire Blast, the Durant jumped in front of his leader and took it for him.

The Booster Badge glowed. I had my eye on the Dragonite. Two four-hoofed, horned, and furred dragons clashed. Khan overpowered him, but the Sudowoodo’s Rock Slide rained down on top of him. I summoned my Claws and ran. A Blaze Kick knocked me back down.

“Help!” Ewan called.

Tobias hit the Breloom with Rapid Spin. The Mushroom Pokémon fired Bullet Seed. Tobias countered with Ice Beam; the Breloom’s eyes flashed and he dodged with the Detect move. Seed Bomb exploded in my partners face. The Breloom laughed. Ewan’s Quick Attack ran him down.

I got to my feet. The Blaziken was standing over me. She was a female.

“Blanche?”

She narrowed her eyes at me. “What?”

“Are you Fortis’ mom?” I blurted out.

She looked to my friend, who was scaling an oak tree to dodge the Seismitoad’s Muddy Water wave. He jumped and Blaze Kicked her in the face. Then the Slaking grabbed him around the waist, grappling him to the ground.

“Fortis?” said the Blaziken. “That’s his name?”

Oh no.

I saw the Blaze Kick coming before she could reach me. I slashed at her, cutting her across the knee. She grit her beak and kicked sword out of hand. Double Kick hit me in the head, up under my chin. She was faster than me now, though I could swear I had outpaced her before. She grabbed my by the tail and tossed me head-first into a tree trunk.

Fortis looked up. His eyes widened.

“Abigail?”

A wave of Muddy Water washed ver him.

By the Pillar Oak, Achilleus stomped down on Khan’s chest, charged a Focus Punch.

Roy took his place. Focus Punch clocked him in the face and he fell flat across the stone, spitting out blood. Khan roared in anger, summoning Dragon Rush. Roy Switched with him again and he crashed head-first into Achilleus’ stomach. He bared his teeth and grabbed the Garchomp by the horns. Khan dug his claws into his arms and this time the Dragonite did let go.

Achilleus readied a Hyper Beam, Alana jumped in front of him and held up a Protect bubble. Eliza hid them with Double Team. Striker carried Khan high into the air. Achilleus took off after them. Striker dropped Khan just in time to take the Wing Attack for him.

Khan landed on one of the Pillar’s branches. The Guardians’ leader didn’t attack. Red light shone from the tree and burned up through Khan’s body and out of his mouth and eyes as he summoned an Enchanted Giga Impact. Achilleus dodged. Khan met the open air. Hyper Beam hit him in the back as he fell. Bucky called out, and Alana's Psychic stopped him inches from the ground.

A few feet away, the Tsareena was gleefully Stomping Ewan into the ground. I hit her with Flamethrower. She retaliated with Trop Kick, throwing me three feet across the earth. She summoned a flutter of Razor Leaves. It wasn’t very effective. So she picked up a rock.

Ewan Tackled her to the ground. I scrambled to my feet and pulled him away and trapped the Fruit Pokémon in a Fire Spin. I picked up Tobias’ shell and lifted it up onto my chest we ran for cover.

The Sableye grabbed Japeth by the horns. He tossed his head back and threw him into the trees. The Yanmega aimed for his neck. Ewan darted forward and raised a Protect bubble just in time. Lucas’s Heat Wave lifted the Ogre Darner Pokémon up and away through the twisted branches of the oak trees.

The Furret collapsed.

“Ewan!” I called. I set Tobias down under a tanglefoot bush, and came running over. “Ewan, speak to me!”

He forced himself back up yet again. “They need help,” he gasped. “I’m useless in a fight. I'll stay here. I’ll and try to keep the child safe. But this can’t go on much longer, Alex.”

“I know,” I said, “I know it can’t.”

Ewan hobbled to the Deerling’s side and raised a Protect bubble, keeping her safe from the Druddigon’s Iron Head.

“Get her out of here!” Lucas cried. The Druddigon hit him in the face with Superpower and he banged his head against the trunk of a tree. The Druddigon raised her claw, he repelled her with Bug Buzz.

The Ribombee spotted us.

“We’re not going to escape!” I called back. “We need to win!”

“We?!” Japeth yelled above the clamour. He ducked just in time to avoid a Pollen Puff.

“We _can’t_ win!” said Lucas. “Please, I’m begging you, she’s just a child! Just get her out of here!”

Japeth’s Energy Ball was fast, but its target was small, and just half a second faster. The Ribombee’s wings gleamed and the Sawsbuck cried out as lights flashed in his eyes. Lucas forced the Druddigon back with Heat Wave just long enough for the Larvesta to sneak up behind him and suck away his health with Leech Life.

The Bisharp had found Tobias; my partner held up his hand to summon Brine but Metal Claw cut right through it and slashed across his palm. I summoned my own and charged at him; the Sword Blade Pokémon brought his fist up under Tobias’ chin and turned around just in time to counter me. He kicked me to the ground and pinned me there with his foot. He raised his arm, I summoned a Flamethrower.

The fire burned through air; the Bisharp had tucked and rolled away from me at the last second. He pushed himself to his knees, I pushed myself to my feet and charged again.

“ _Don’t!_ ”

He held up his hand. He didn't move to attack me. I paused.

“Please,” he said, his voice wavering. The fire at the end of my tail flickered gently.

Dragon Rush clashed with Dragon Rush behind us. There was a flash of blinding blue light; when it faded the Bisharp had run away to find another target.

The Vigoroth came barrelling towards us on all fours. Ewan raised a bubble but Feint broke right through it. He went flying into a tanglefoot bush, and lay there, still.

I drew my sword and blocked three long, black claws, pushing back as hard as I could. My arms were trembling; it must have taken all the strength I had just to stay standing.

I heard Harriet cry out. I saw the Slaking pinning Fortis to the ground, the daggers far from his reach.

We really weren’t going to win. Was this it? Was this really where it ended? Were we all going to die?

“ _No!!!_ ”

I hit the Vigoroth with Flamethrower. He stood and bared the attack. Then his body glowed red-and-yellow. He struck me across the face. I lay still on the ground. Revenge. Of course.

The Wild Monkey Pokémon’s shadow loomed over me. I didn’t even have the strength to lift my head. A few feet away, Susie was sobbing.

Fortis struck out with Blaze Kick but the Slaking caught it in his hands and turned him, slamming him to the floor. Fortis twisted his leg away and rolled back onto his feet.

The Drapion cut Harriet across the eyes with Night Slash. The murky-green glow of a Fell Stinger claw dug into her throat and she fell to the ground. The Ruby Pokémon’s body gave off a blinding orange flash.

Fortis’ Sky Uppercut drove into the Slaking's chin, spraying blood. He had only halfway turned around when a fire-coated kick came swinging around the hit him in the chest, then swept his legs out from under him. He caught himself on one knee.

He looked up. His eyes widened.

“Abigail?”

The other Blaziken narrowed her eyes at him. “I don’t know you.”

Fortis got to his feet. “Abigail, it's me! I’m your-”

Abigail chopped him between the neck and shoulder, kneed him in the stomach, kicked his left leg out from under him, drove her fist up under his chin, span and kicked him in the jaw. Close Combat.

Fortis tucked and rolled and jumped to his feet; he crossed his arms to block a Sky Uppercut but Abigail knocked his arms away then rammed her fist into his chest. Fortis gasped for air. Abigail took a step back and charged a Brave Bird attack.

Harriet’s beak drilled into her back; the other Blaziken screamed. Harriet landed and held up her wings but Abigail feinted and struck her in the stomach then Night Slashed her across the face, cutting less then an inch below the eyes. If she hadn’t turned her head at that exact moment, she most likely would have been blinded. But now she was open and Abigail took her chance to drive her Blaze Kick into her back.

The Seismitoad raised his arms and a torrent of Muddy Water rose up from the ground. Fortis tried to run but the sheer force sucked him back in and lifted him off the ground in an upward tide.

The Tangrowth’s vines wrapped around Lucas’ and Japeth’s necks.

The Carnivine lifted Susie off of the ground.

Fortis kicked at the air, trying and failing to summon a Blaze Kick attack.

The Swellow swooped down at me, talons ready to snatch me out of the air. Tobias called my name and before I could react had shoved me out of the way and the Swellow had grabbed onto the back of his shell and lifted him into the air, higher, higher, higher than the canopy of leaves, high enough to touch the Barrier.

And then dropped him.

“Tobias!”

I held out my hands to catch him. The Dunsparce rose up from the ground and struck me in the stomach. I slashed her across the face with my sword before she could attack again, but by now Tobias was too far away. He was about to his the ground.

“ _Tobias!_ ”

A purple blur crossed my vision. Khan rolled over the ground, Tobias in his arms. He stopped a few feet into the woods. I chased after them.

“The human’s trying to run!” Achilleus cried, jabbing a sharp white claw at me. “Catch him! Catch them all!”

The Guardians collectively turned their attentions on me at that moment, but for some reason, I didn’t move. Instead of running or defending myself, I stood watching the chaos raging all around me, too horrified in that moment to even think about my own fate.

The Forest Fires were being separated from each other, backed into a corner by four Pokémon or more, powerful Pokémon, Pokémon I couldn’t even imagine beating in a one-on-one battle.

Ewan still wasn’t moving. The Ursaring lifted him up and carried him under her arm.

Blood sprayed from Harriets beak.

Lucas and Japeth clawed for breath.

Susie screamed for help.

Fortis turned and reached out for her but he couldn’t move; air escaped from his mouth and he choked on water.

Khan set Tobias down in a nearby bush and got to his feet; dark-blue energy surrounded him and the Dragonite and they charged at each other; Tobias cried out but his voice was drowned out by the wind rushing around them.

The Guardians were coming now, hands and claws and vines ready to grab ahold of me and rip me to bloody pieces. Behind me was the Forest, where they would hunt me down until I dropped if some hunter Pokémon or Burrowwild or sinkhole didn’t catch me first. There was nowhere to run. And there was no way to fight.

Achilleus watched from beside the Pillar Oak, arms behind his back. Waiting for me to die.

The Guardians closed in.

I clutched my head and bent over double and screwed up my eyes.

“ _Stoooooop!!_ ”

The Booster Badge flashed.

Fortis’ body burned blindingly bright.

Flames rose from his orange feathers and spread up his leg and turned the water to steam. He landed on the ground and a swirling dome of fire raged up and around him. Blaze Kick became Inferno Overdrive.

The Seismitoad and the Tangrowth and Abigail were swallowed by the blaze. Lucas Transformed into a Vigoroth and pulled Japeth free at the last second; the Carnivine shielded her face and in that moment Eliza had grabbed her and pulled her around so the Heracross’ back faced the flames. Several more Ruby Pokémon were sucked in; Roy grabbed the Accelgor by the back of the neck and tossed him in; Striker carried the Escavalier into the air and dropped them. Alana’s Psychic was grabbing the lucky stragglers on the outside and shoving them backwards. Bucky just watched, stunned, silent, the fire burning in his eyes.

“ _Pull yourselves together!_ ” Achilleus roared. “They're _fire-types_! Don't be such weak-willed _cowards_!”

Japeth was staring straight at the Pillar. Lucas was calling his name, but he wasn’t responding. The fire had died, the Guardians were back on their feet. Even the ones who had been trapped in the blaze were still standing. The rest of them were almost at full health. The Forest Fires were being pushed to their limit. Fortis and Harriet were about to drop. Ewan had collapsed to the ground. The Luxray threw her head back and roared, something like a cry of war. Or of victory.

The great oak tree was glowing brighter. The Ruby Pokémon looked so much redder. The light shining from the rivets in the stone were dizzying. Even in the madness and the rumbling and the slamming against the ground, the platform didn’t so much as tremble.

“Japeth?! Why aren’t you- _Susie!_ ”

The Pawniard’s Night Slash cut Ewan across the face. He kicked him aside. The Furret tried to stand. Susie tried to run away. The Pawniard slipped in front of her. His face twisted into a grotesque vision, melted steel dripping off his skull and around sunken yellow eyes shot with white veins. Susie screamed and backed away.

Japeth ran. He ran straight into the fray, knocking Pokémon side, clenching his teeth to bear attacks that rained down on him. Butterfree’s Psybeam, Beedrill’s Poison Job, Mawile’s Fairy Wind, Sableye’s Power Gem. Japeth kept running.

“What the hell is he doing?!” Achilleus barked.

Brick Break cracked across the Dragonite’s face.

The Forest Fires stared in awe.

The Guardians turned their backs on us.

Attacks rained down on the Season Pokémon’s back.

Japeth kept running.

He leapt up onto the stone platform. The light was blinding and there was a horrible screeching in the air.

In one last desperate attempt, Achilleus turned from his opponent. Khan summoned an Enchanted Giga Impact and followed behind him, half a second away from crashing into him. The Dragonite summoned a Focus Punch attack and swung.

Japeth dodged.

He lowered his head and rammed his antlers into the Pillar. A _massive_ shockwave ran through the earth, and the air buzzed; there was a horrible cracking and snapping sound, and cracks travelled down the Sawsbuck’s horns and across the face. Red light shone through the gaps.

The Pillar Oak roared. The glow become too bright to bear. Lucas wrapped himself around Susie, Ewan, and I. I told him Tobias was still in the bush. His wing morphed into a long pink arm and he picked him up and placed him at my side.

Japeth was stumbling towards him. Roy and Bucky walked at his sides, protecting him.

Achilleus summoned his dark-blue dragon. Khan was already running, crying out for Tobias and I. Achilles charged; four hoofs galloped silently across the stone. Alana’s Protected blocked him. She grit her teeth and gave a strangled cry and pushed the bubble outwards. The Dragonite went sliding across the stone platform.

Striker and Eliza were dragging Fortis and Harriet away. The Guardians were coming to their senses. We needed a distraction.

“Can someone give me a hand with this damn web?!” said Bucky.

Khan ripped it away. Bucky faced the masses of the Ruby Pokémon, and his antlers shone. A hundred eyes turned milky and white. The Guardians screamed.

It affected us, as well. The Forest Fires cringed away. Harriet Fortis had crouched down to pick up his swords, and there he remained. Ewan put his paws over his mouth, shaking head-to-tail. Lucas was covering Susie’s eyes, but she could still hear it.

“What’s going on?” she said. “Dad, Dad, what’s going on? What’s that sound? Let me see! I can’t see! What’s going on?!”

Blazing fire, burning through the Forest. The cries of agony from wild Pokémon all around us. Trees falling. Leaves and bushes turning to ash. Sparkles falling to the ground; up above, the Barrier breaking apart. Down below, the Pillar Oak sending out blinding flashes of red light.

Khan placed a claw on my shoulder.

“Don’t worry,” he said softly, “it’s a mirage, nothing more.”

“But the mirage will end!” said Roy. “We have to run, there is no longer a way to fight them!”

“We can’t!” I cried. “Dreigo and the others are still in there!"

“If Achilleus was in there,” Ewan said, “then your friends are gone. I’m sorry, Alex.”

A smouldering trunk tossed side. A Dragonite’s head rising, turning to face us. Eyes burning red through the smoke.

Just ahead of the phantom Dragonite, Achilleus got to his feet. His white eyes were fixed straight ahead. There wasn’t a trace of fear on his face. He knew as well as Khan. Ruby Forest doesn’t burn.

We ran. We ran for two days straight. The Forest Fires made no sound, but that made our laboured _crunching_ footsteps seem even louder. The Guardians always had some idea of where we were, and if we lost sight of them, it wasn't for long. Daytime bled into night, and the chase never stopped.

We’d been beaten within an inch of our lives. Some of us were barely conscious after that shockwave. Some of us had trouble staying awake at all.

We only rested once the strongest of us had to. Otherwise, they’d carry us on their backs. Lucas Transformed into a Leavanny, another Guardian sent to track us down, and carried Susie in his arms. Ewan rode on Roy’s back, Tobias’ on Khan’s, me on Bucky’s. We carried on like that for a few more hours. Then Harriet fell, and we knew we were in trouble.

Alana used her Psychic to take the weight off her legs, until the headache became unbearable. We decided to rest for an hour or so.

I lay my head on a mossy rock and closed my eyes. Suddenly we were moving again. Susie was on Japeth’s back. Harriet managed to drag herself to her feet. Bucky flinched as Eliza placed me on top of him. There were bags under his eyes.

There are no paths in Ruby Forest, but that also meant there were a few trees and bushes here and there that hadn’t been picked clean. Until we cleaned them, that is.

There was very little water, and Tobias, though still subdued, complained about the thirst. Ewan asked Tobias why he didn’t just drink his own.

“Why don’t I just hydrate myself by hydrating myself? Great plan, guy.”

“Tobias,” Khan chided, but softly.

“Sorry,” he muttered, then closed his eyes.

Leaves fell limp from Japeth’s antlers. He watched them drift to the ground, silent and expressionless. Then his hoof slipped off the flat of a rock; he twisted his body just in time to avoid landing on his face. Lucas helped him to his feet. His split antlers rattled against each other.

“You need to be careful,” the Ditto said softly, “they're still delicate at the moment.”

“They’re going to fall off,” Striker said, helpfully.

“Is there some way we can fix them?” said Harriet.

“Not unless we get to a healer in the next twelve hours,” said the Sawsbuck, “and there are no healers left in this place to help us anymore.”

“But…” she searched around for another solution. “What about Alana? She can do magic!”

“I can boost Pokémon’s attacks, Harriet,” said the Meowstic, “I can’t _manipulate_ a Pokémon’s _cells_.”

Fortis placed his hand on Harriet’s shoulder, a sign for her to drop it. Reluctantly, she did.

“I’m so sorry about your antlers, love,” Lucas said, not of the first time.

“You haven't mentioned my face yet.”

Lucas’ plain face was more expressionless than I’d ever seen it. He looked down at the ground.

Japeth closed his eyes. “It’s fine. I’d rather leave it unspoken, to be honest. Right nowI’m just glad that it wasn’t my skull. A shockwave like that must be powerful to cut through the bone.”

“It was brave,” Fortis said. “We would all be dead if it wasn't for you.”

“Including your kid,” said Striker.

“I’m not saying I regret it,” Japeth answered, “but on balance I would have preferred to avoid the whole thing entirely.”

“And stay with Pokémon like them?” said Harriet.

“Those Pokémon were my friends!” Japeth snapped back. “They were everything I knew until two days ago! Who the hell do you think you are to talk to me like that?!”

Harriet held up her hands, a gesture of peace. Lucas rested a leaf on his husband’s back to soothe him.

“At least we gave the rest of them a good scare,” said Eliza.

“Doesn’t seem to have frightened them away, though, has it? If anything it just made them angrier. I must have broken the first rule Ruby Forest’s ever had.”

“Do you think it was damaged?” I asked.

Japeth gave a short, cynical laugh. “Damaged? Don’t be a moron. No Pokémon can harm the Pillar Oak. And looks what happens when you try.”

I stepped over a stray root. Japeth missed it and stumbled; Lucas caught him before he fell.

“Would somebody please take Susie?” he breathed.

Striker offered, and Lucas placed her on the Staraptor’s back, forelegs around his shoulders.. Japeth carried on for a few more steps, then collapsed. Thankfully, his daughter was asleep.

“We have to stop again,” said Fortis.

“We have been walking for scarcely an hour,” Roy argued.

“And we’re not going to walk any longer until we can actually _walk_ ,” Fortis snapped back.

“You’re taking a much more amiable approach too things,” said Harriet, “given the gravity of the situation.”

“Pushing Pokémon who are still healthy makes them stronger. Pushing Pokémon who can’t push themselves will only break them. It’s like bending glass. You can only do it when there’s a fire burning.”

Khan took his side. That settled it. We dropped unceremoniously to the ground. Tobias and I sat beside Susie. She finally stirred, and raised her head.

“Where are we going?”

“Haven’t your dads explained that to you yet?” said Tobias.

“They don’t know either…”

Her parents heard all of this; they were never more than five feet away from her. Japeth nuzzled her.

“We can’t ever come back here, love,” he said. “It’s important for you to know that. And you have to promise me now, okay? You have to promise that you understand.”

“Where will we go?”

“Promise me, Susan.”

“… I promise Dad.”

“Good. Thank you. We’re going somewhere far away. Somewhere no one can come to hurt us. We’re going to find a new home.”

Susie nodded. She closed her eyes and rested her head against him. She sniffed. Japeth settled his chin on her tuft.

Bucky came and lay down beside them, so he could speak to the Deerling, face-to-face.

“You know something?” he said. “My friends and I are in the same situation you are. Those Pokémon back there have been looking for us for _years_ , and they’re pretty angry with us too! But we’re sick of being bossed around by them, of being afraid of them. We want to be _free_. So we’re leaving forever too. But you know what else? We’re excited about it! We can go anywhere in the _world_ now! Even if you’ve seen every inch of Ruby Forest, you’ve only seen the tiniest little but of what the outside has to offer. And we would know, because we’ve seen every inch of Ruby Forest!

“But there's so much more out there! Dracen call tell you, he's from the outside. And Alex, and Tobias, and Harriet. They all live completely different lives, see new things and meet new friends every single day! And there’s nobody to stop them, because there are no rules about going out at night, or going off alone, or rationing food, or watching for predators, or any of it! You can do anything now, _be_ anything. You’re free!”

_Snap_.

Our heads shot up. Faces appeared in the shadows. Scout Pokémon. None of them bore any kind of battle damage. Until Khan’s Brick Break broke the Bisharp’s jaw into bits. At least it wasn’t his backbone.

The rest of the scouts close in around us, lightning-fast. Three of them were Stantler.

“Close your eyes!” Bucky yelled. “Don’t open them for even a second!”

Lucas Transformed into the form of the wild Rillaboom visible in distance and covered Susie’s eye with a large furry hand. Japeth stood guard over them. Green light leaked from the cracks in his antlers.

Striker laughed. “How many of you are there? Fifteen? Twenty? You really think you only need _twenty_ Pokémon to bring us down?”

Toxic attacks hit him, Alana, Fortis, Eliza. Harriet too, but she was immune and she jeered at them for their mistake. Then a Focus Blast hit her in the hip.

Someone knocked me to the ground. I summoned a Fire Spin but I was firing blind. Someone bit down on my tail and I cried out in pain.

The sound of crackling electricity filled my ears, and orange light flooded in through my eyelids. I kept my eyes on the ground and peaked. Sparks flew and lightning flashed all around me. A Skuntank was pinned to the floor by an Electro Web.

I looked around. Galvantula stood in a circle around them. I was looking for Joly, but I didn’t dare call his name.

We jumped over the scouts and kept running. A Medicham raised her hand and Psychic held me in place. A Thunder from somewhere up in the treetops struck her down. Bucky ordered us to keep our eyes shut. I desperately wish I had been able to look back.

We came to a crossroads. It wasn’t so much a road as a place where three different species of trees met. There was such a clean line between them, I now noticed; no saplings ever grew beyond their area, or had to worry about invasion from outside species. But the roots of the common aspens behind us and the cottonwoods ahead of us tangled over each other, clawing up each other’s trunks, crushed against one another, branches twined together. It was like that all the way down to our left and to our right.

“The left route it longer,” said Ewan, “and more open. It’s an area of cottonwood trees. The right’s bigtooth aspen.”

“The right path’s the obvious choice,” said Fortis, “which makes me think they’ll be setting up a trap there. Open air wouldn’t be enough to deter them.”

Khan held up his claw to silence then. There was a gentle humming sound, almost like wind, though the leaves were still. A faint glow appeared on either side. A trail of murky-purple will-o-the-wisps appeared along the two paths.

“What is that?” said Eliza. “Fire?”

“It looks like magic…” said Alana.

The wisps gathered together and twisted, turning in a circle, hovering above the ground, until visions appeared within them. On the left, eyes blinked down from the branches of the bigtooth aspen trees, lit by some unseen source. On the right, Guardians waited in the Burrowwild tunnels, a shaft dim of reddish sunlight peaking in from the surface.

“What is this?” said Eliza.

“A trick,” said Striker.

“No,” said Ewan, “no, we can trust it.”

Fortis, Harriet, Tobias, and I added our voices. The wisps trailed away and came together, and another portal revealed the location of a tunnel opening, unguarded by either Guardian or Burrowwild. Then it broke apart and the wisps led us through the trees, where the cottonwoods and the aspens tangled together, choking one another. We let them lead us.

Dawn broke. The tunnel had only taken us a mile or so to the north before spitting us back out again. We walked for a few more hours without event. When I started limping, Eliza reached down to pick me up. I waved her away, but my bravado only stretched for another hour or so. Eventually my body rejected me, and I was back to being carried like a child. Harriet managed to stay on her feet, but only by, very reluctantly, accepting a larger portion of our food rations.

Then Fortis fell.

I stared, horrified, as he pushed himself to his feet.

“I’m fine,” he said through a gritted beak. But he was shaking.

“You can have some of my food,” Bucky said as we started walking again.

“We don’t need to use any more food.”

“I think you do, buddy.”

“Don’t call me buddy.”

“Don’t snap at him, Fortis,” said Khan.

“Don’t tell me what to do, Garchomp!”

A green arrow came whistling through the trees. Khan blocked it with his fin just before it hit me in the head. Bucky had an Oran Berry in his mouth; before we could get away a Psybeam hit him in the face and it dropped to the dirt.

A Luxio grabbed Harriet by the back of the neck. In the second it took for Fortis’ lightning-fast Fire Punch to knock him out, an Accelgor, an Escavalier, a Medicham, and a Seismitoad had surrounded us. More were on their way.

I trapped a Steenee in Fire Spin. Tobias hit the Accelgor with Ice Beam. An Attack Order unleashed a party of Combee on us both.

Ashadow appeared overhead. Everyone looked to the sky. A roar shook the trees through to the ground. Then five more joined it.

An Aerodactyl landed on top of the Escavalier. Another grabbed the Scyther in his jaws on and shook. The third’s Iron Head drove the Medicham into a tree, the fourth Crunched down on the Seismitoad’s shoulder.

Tombstones rose up in a wall and toppled over onto the Guardian’s heads. A Durant slipped free, but Susie hit him with Take Down and Fortis kicked him back away in time for the rocks to fall on top of every one of them.

“Nice work!” he said.

Susie quickly turned away, blushing.

The Luxio barked orders to his Pokémon, and they turned and fled back the way they came. The Aerodactyl chased them down, snapping at their heels, saliva flying from their mouths.

“We can’t rest here,” Khan said, “they have an exact pinpoint on our location. Everyone, move!”

“We can’t just leave them here!” I said.

“We don’t have a choice, Alex.”

“But what if the Guardians see _them_ as the enemy now as well!”

“They're wild Pokémon,” said Striker. “The Guardians won’t see them as any more than aggravated hunters. Why do you think they’re anything else?”

I looked back the way we came. The last Aerodactyl’s scarlet-red tail trailed away, flicking in excitement, or agitation, or anger. Khan was herding me away before I could answer.

Dusk fell. Tobias, Susie and I had been carried half the day. Lucas had Transformed into a Cutiefly and was tucked into Roy's fur. Fortis, Harriet, and Japeth were leaning on Khan, Eliza, and Bucky. They dragged themselves along like that for another few miles. But it was too much, in the end. Somehow, all at once, the Forest Fires broke down. We all collapsed to the ground. Between the fog, the constant diversions, and the sweat in our eyes, we had lost track of where were hours ago. Not that it would have been any help. Right now I was just a dead weight for Bucky to carry; and one without a filter.

“I thought you’d explored every inch of Ruby Forest,” I said dryly.

“I know we’re in the olive tree grounds-” the Stantler began.

“The ash tree grounds,” Ewan corrected.

“Yeah, he’s right,” said Striker, rubbing an eye with his wing.

“The oleeae grounds stretch three miles along and five miles across,” said Eliza.

“Besides,” said Alana, “we’ve only been to the very edge of the Forest twice in our careers, excluding Dracen.”

“The danger is almost always closer to the centre,” said Roy.

“Oh, geez, thanks for letting us know,” said Harriet, “if only we’d had you as a guide from the beginning instead of these three idiots.”

Fortis laughed. He laughed harder and harder until there were tears in his eyes. He wasn’t smiling. Not really.

“I never would have guessed,” he said. “Of all the ways I’d ever imagined dying, this was the _last_ thing I could have ever expected.”

“I thought I’d die old,” said Tobias. “Surrounded by wealth, in an expensive home, with my name on the Emerald Monument. I know it’s shallow. I don’t care. I wanted to be rich, and successful, and famous. Now I’m going to die as the weakest member of a dead team.”

“Weakest member?” said Ewan. “Are you kidding?”

“I think I’m the weakest,” said Susie. Lucas pulled her close.

“Shhh, Susie,” he said. “Just… Just go back to sleep.”

“What’s going to happen to our child?” said Japeth. He lay on his side, broken antlers resting on the grass, not looking up from the patch of nothing he was staring at.

“They won’t hurt her,” said Lucas, “they can’t. They can’t hurt a child.”

“Achilleus was about to,” said Japeth, “until Fortis intervened.”

“Achilleus is a monster.”

“Achilleus is their leader!”

“ _Shhh!_ ”

Japeth sighed, and closed his eyes.

“Why did you do it, sweetheart?”

“ _Japeth_ -”

“Just tell me why you did it. You knew what would happen, didn’t you? Just… Just tell me why. Please.”

Susie didn’t looked at him. “They were going to hurt them. I didn’t want them to hurt them.”

“Is that _it_?”

“Yes.”

Japeth took a deep breath. Lucas look down at his daughter.

“You’re a good person, Susie,” said the Ditto.

“You are a good person, of course you are,” said the Sawsbuck. “I’m sorry. It’s just a lot to get my head around.”

“You said all outsiders were bad Pokémon,” said the Deerling.

“Thank you for that, Susie.”

“But all your friends just did something really bad. _They_ were all bad Pokémon. Are _we_ the bad guys?”

“No,” I said quickly. “You’re not the bad guys. This isn’t your fault.”

Lucas was giving me a strange look. “Can I ask you something, Alex?”

“Of course.”

“What exactly did they want with you?”

The others went silent.

I swallowed. Tobias and Khan both tried to interject but I held up my hand.

I told him exactly why. I was the whole reason this was happening to them. They deserved to know.

At first they looked at me with shock, then disbelief, and then plain revulsion. Maybe they believed my story about being human, maybe not; but they believed I was the monster who attacked the Pillar Oak, I can tell that much.

“Why?” Lucas breathed. “Why would you _do_ something like that?”

I didn’t have an answer for them. I really didn’t.

I caught Susie’s eyes, filled with fear. She nuzzled in closer to Japeth and Lucas pulled her further away from me.

“What a horrible thing to do…” said the Ditto.

“Leave him alone, Lucas,” said Japeth.

“Japeth-”

“I’m no better than he is. I did the exact same thing.”

“You did it to save us all! After _he_ dragged us into this!”

“He didn’t force Achilleus to attack our daughter. He didn't goad our “friends” to turn on us without a second’s thought. And we're the ones who dragged the Guardians to _them_ I’m bearing the consequences for my decisions, the same as he is.”

“It doesn’t look that way to me,” said Lucas, looking right at me.

“That’s not true!” said Tobias. “Alex was close to _death_ when I found him! He spent a week in the hospital! He lost his body, he lost his memory! He lost _everything_ because of what that thing did to him!”

“And now so will we,” said Alana, staring up at the Barrier. “We’re all going to die here, same as him.”

Neither Tobias nor I had anything to say in response.

“I was so close…” Ewan said, looking up with her. Tears dampened his matte red-and-pink fur. “I was _so… close…_ ”

“Do you think we would've ever come back?” said Striker. “Not that I’m feeling particularly _nostalgic_ , but…”

“I think so,” said Bucky. “It’s not like us to just leave a crisis behind, is it?”

I think that that was what gave me the idea. Lucas was right. Those Pokémon were monsters. They were killers. And every single Pokémon here was going to die, child or not. Unless they got what they wanted.

The Guardian’s couldn’t have been that far away. If I waited for the right moment, if I hid myself with Smokescreen, if I used the bushes and the fog and my size to my advantage, I would make it to them. I would sacrifice myself. I would die.

If we had stopped even a few moments earlier, that might have been exactly what happened. Even our guides had lost track. They had no idea how close we’d been. Susie was the first to notice.

“What is it, sweetie?” said Lucas.

“Over there,” she said. “Something’s sparkling.”

She was gazing into the distance ahead of us. I covered my eyes, and then I saw it too. A twinkling.

Japeth stepped closer. “There’s something there. Something shining. Looks like a normal-type attack, possibly dragon.”

Roy’s eyes glowed.

“I can’t see anything substantial besides the trees,” he said, “but they're right, there is something. It looks like crystal, almost…”

Fortis got to his feet. “Colour?”

He shook his head. “It’s clear.”

“It’s pretty,” said Susie.

We carried on, just a little further, just so we could see. An orange-and-black Fletchinder flew over our heads, just above the canopy.

“The sun’s getting brighter,” Alana said.

Because the trees were thinning. Fortis ran a ahead a few paces, then stopped dead.

“What is it?” said Harriet. “What’s wrong?”

He turned back to us, wonder in his eyes.

“The grass.”

We caught up to him, at an opening between two ash trees, where long red vines trailed down to the ground. Fortis pulled them apart.

Green grass. Blue sky. White clouds. The Barrier.

Sunlight.

I looked back over my shoulder.

“Don’t worry,” said Khan, “they won’t follow us out here. They can’t.”

So I turned away. Fortis held the red vines out of our way and the golden sun washed shone down on our faces. A curtain of light parted before us, glowing blue, purple, and red. We stepped out onto the fresh green grass.

Together, we escaped Ruby Forest.


	15. Mahogany Village

Ω Volume Three: The War of the Dragons Ω

Chapter Fifteen: Mahogany Village

_“You’d better have come prepared!” - Team Flare Grunt, Pokémon X and Y_

We didn’t rest until the shadows of the ruby-coloured trees were behind us. We stopped on the other side of a small hill about half a mile away. If we tucked ourselves in, we could rest with it just out of our line of sight.

Harriet took a deep breath.

“ _We’re freeeeeeee!_ ”

“Gods, Harriet,” said Fortis.

She lay back and closed her eyes and sighed. “We’re free.”

The rest of us settled down to rest beside her.

Eliza poked her head over the top of the ridge. “We’re not worried about stopping so close to the Barrier?”

“Whoever’s in charge should have Pokémon set up to patrol the outskirts,” said Fortis. “We’ll explain to them that we’re- that Alex, Tobias, Khan, and Harriet are outsiders, and that we’re their escorts.”

“Will that work?”

“It will if we make sure not to call them “outsiders”,” said Bucky.

“Maybe we should let Dracen do the talking,” said Alana, “I’m sure that’ll be a real _challenge_ for him.”

“Haha, very funny,” said Khan.

“We’re Ruby Pokémon who've just come from the Forest,” asked Striker. “What’s to stop them driving us back the way we came?”

“They’re not monsters,” said Harriet, “if we explain to them what happened to us they’re not going to send us back in there to _die_.”

“… What if somebody recognises me?” I asked her.

“How on earth would they recognise you?” said Bucky.

“They won’t,” said Harriet. “You’ll be Booster, no last name, and the rest of us will be whoever we have to be to keep our identities secret. As long no one says anything they shouldn’t, the Barrier Patrol are just going to meet with us, take us to a safe location, feed us and treat our wounds, and then we’ll be free to do as we like. No one in the Varia army will even notice us.” She didn't look so sure. I think even she knew that what she was saying was wishful thinking at best. But what choice did we have?

“So when can we expect a visit from these venerable altruists?” asked Roy. “Because at the moment all I see between us and the Forest is half a mile of land.”

“That’s exactly what they want you to see.”

There was a sound like air being sucked through a Vacuum Wave. Cyan-coloured armour, helmets, and weapons appeared first, followed by the Pokémon inside; a bearded Golem, a Lopunny, a Rapidash, a Pidgeot, a Stoutland, and a Charizard. Each wore an insignia on their chest; a flame, orange against blue.

Skarsgards.

The Charizard cracked his knuckles. “All right, which one’s in charge? I’m not bickering with all of you at once.” He had an accent, different from any I could remember hearing.

Khan stood. “We’re not here to cause any trouble.”

“That’s what they all say.”

“And I’m sure a lot of them mean it. We’re _escapees_. We’ve just spent the last three days fighting for our lives, and all any of us want right now is food and a warm bed.”

The Charizard’s eyes narrowed. “Not sure we can help you, then, pal. Gets pretty cold this time of year.”

“In a fire-type camp?” said Harriet.

“I’ve ‘eard stories of there bein’ Garchomp in the Forest before,” said the Stoutland, again with a different dialect, “how do we know you ain’t one of them?”

“Oh, I’m not _one_ of them,” Khan answered.

“You’re mistaken,” said Fortis, getting to his feet, “I’ve live in Ruby Forest for years, and I’ve never heard of any “Garchomp” living there.”

“And the rest of you?” said the Charizard.

“Most of them are Rubies,” Fortis conceded, “besides the exhausted Charmander, the half-conscious Empoleon, and the half-starved Squirtle.”

“Curious as to what you thought would happen to you in a place like that,” said the Charizard.

“Lennon,” said the Lopunny, “that’s enough. Look at them, he’s not exaggerating. Those kids needs to be shown to Asa, _now_ , especially the Deerling. We’re taking them to the village.”

“All right,” Lennon held up his hands, “we’ll compromise.”

So we were escorting under the care and protection of the Evrons to the warmth and safety of Mahogany Village, with swords pointed at our backs.

The Rapidash looked up at me, lying on Bucky’s back. “You from here, kid?”

“I have no idea where I’m from. Amnesia.” I was too exhausted to be coy about it.

She raised her eyebrows. “Oh, wow. Always thought that was just something made up by lazy writers. You got a name, or d’you forget that as well?”

“Yep,” I said, and turned my head.

Our destination was Mahogany Village. We had a full few of it from the top of a hill. It was a wooden-house settlement made of, you guessed it, mahogany. The streets were densely packed and loud with the sounds of domesticated Pokémon. The trees, also, shockingly, mahogany, had been felled to make a wide clearing, which opened up onto vast fields of pale-green grass.

Or it would have, if the Skarsgard war camp wasn’t blocking the way. There were maybe five hundred tents of all different sizes, each some combination of blue, orange, and pale-yellow. Enough to fit five thousand Pokémon, or thereabouts.

We were taken to a make-shift hospital on the camp ground; the hospital in the village had too many Pokémon that couldn’t be moved. A female Unfezant named Irina ushered us in. She held up her wing to stop the Barrier Guard following us. Lennon grit his teeth but yielded to her authority.

The healers’ assistants cleared beds for us. Several Pokémon, mostly recovered from whatever had brought them there, were moved out at once.

“What do we do about the child?” asked the Pidgeot.

Susie backed away. Japeth and Lucas, now a plain-faced Machamp, stood protectively over her.

"We can take care of our daughter, thank you," said the Sawsbuck.

“You might not have that luxury,” Lennon said.

A Steelix passed us by. Lucas took his form. The chains morphed as well, and remained binded to him. He tugged hard, but the guards dragged him back down again.

“If you want to be treated as escapees and not as _invaders_ ,” said the Golem, “I suggest you turn back to your original form and _stand down_.”

Lucas looked from her to his daughter. He changed back into a Machamp.

“Your _original_ form, Ditto.”

“We’ll call it a compromise,” Lucas said, seething.

We weren’t off to a great start.

The healers were overwhelmed. They raced back and forth between patients, arms full of supplies constantly threatening to spill, not even stopping to think until we were all lying down, limbs properly placed, wrapped in bandages smeared with many different kinds of pastes. A Sizzlipede complained to a frazzled Rowlet that she’d been waiting over an hour for treatment while they’d been tending to us. We must have been in pretty rough shape if we were being given priority in a warcamp hospital.

“Moltres, you think it can’t get any worse and then something like _this_ happens,” said the Clobbopus with eight spools of bandages in his arms.

There were a wide range of different accents in the camp. Most of the Pokémon here spoke the same way as the Charizard who had led us here. All of the fire-types I heard did, along with half of the flying-types. The other half spoke like Harriet.

After downing my own weight in food; Khan and Fortis had warned me to be cautious about over-eating, but I’m not sure my brain even registered it once they’d brought out real, _cooked_ food; I spent around twenty-four hours drifting in and out of consciousness, only moving to check that Tobias and the others were still beside me, still safe, still _alive_. The stress didn’t make recovery any easier. When I finally woke up for real, I was too exhausted to move.

A Totodile was hand-feeding a Fireball Darumaka bound in bandages so tight that only their hands, feet, mouth, and eyes were visible. To be fair, I can’t think of any other way you could wrap a Darumaka. The Rowlet held a spatula in his beak and was gently smoothing a sticky white paste over a Hypno’s damaged shin. An Infernape with a mechanical right arm and a bandaged foot was sat cross-legged, to the healers’ disapproval, polishing a chest plate.

Blue and orange. A simple flame. A pale-yellow outline.

I rolled over and tucked myself into the straw.

“Tobias,” I whispered.

“He’s sleeping,” he whispered back. He was lying outside of his shell, facing me. Had he been checking on me as well?

“You look like how I feel.”

“Do you feel sleepy?”

“Yeah, but I wish I didn’t.”

“Why?”

“Because I’d rather be thinking clearly right now.”

The curtains parted. In strode a small green Pokémon. He was covered head-to-toe in bangles, with two bands strapped around his bulb, and even sported an earring in each ear. A large bulb. Dark spots. Red eyes. A Bulbasaur.

He was as cheerful as any Pokémon I’d ever seen. The other Pokémon in the hospital, including the healers, looked up hopefully at his arrival, and he gave a friendly hello to everyone he passed.

The Booster Badge sat wrapped in my scarf, stuffed into my bag. I couldn’t tell if it was glowing. If it was, would it activate on its own? Did I even have the energy for that? Could I control it at all? I didn’t have the answers to any of that, so I kicked it away from me just in case.

Tobias yelped.

“It’s all right!” the Bulbasaur said, now standing over him. “I’m here to help.”

He extended his vines, gently turned him over.

“Get away from him…” my voice came out in a croak. Tobias’ eyes widened. Yeah. Maybe not the smartest thing to say.

“I’m sorry?” said the Bulbasaur.

“Don’t… touch him…” I could hardly move. That one weak kick had taken all the energy left in me.

“I’m only doing a routine check-up,” he said with a light-hearted chuckle, “I’ve done three of them on both of you already, and nothing’s gone wrong so far!”

I was stunned into silence. One of the bands around Asa’s bulb glowed pink. Then both of their bodies did too. After a few seconds, the light faded.

“There we are, nothing to worry about! Everything in working order!”

He crossed over to me, I cringed away. He repeated the process.

He didn’t seem quite as happy. “Everything looks good to me. Just make sure you get plenty of rest. You sustained quite a lot of damage to the neck, but don’t worry, it’s nothing permanent.”

“You have Asa to thank for that,” said Irina.

Asa laughed. “You don’t have to thank me, it’s my job! Thank your friends for getting you here when you did. Recent injures like your own are within my area, but given another day or so more drastic measures would have been required.” His tone changed to one of a professor giving a lecture: “Cuts and scrapes are a natural part of battle, but some injuries can’t be healed with Oran Berries! Always consult a healer as soon as anything more serious than a K.O. occurs.

“But the most important thing for you now is to get some rest. Both physically,” he helped me back down onto the bed, “and mentally. You’ve been through an ordeal I can’t even imagine. But you’re safe now.” He gave me a warm smile. “You can sleep peacefully.”

Easy for you to say.

He reached out with his vines, I scuttled backwards.

“Okay, okay,” he said gently, “I won't touch you. Could you please turn your head for me?”

I turned my head to the left.

“And the other way?”

I turned. He looked me over for a long moment.

“How have you been feeling the past twenty-four hours?”

“Tired,” I said curtly, “and in pain.”

“Any headaches?”

Headaches?

“No,” I lied, “no headaches.”

“Good! All in working order then!” Another smile. This one looked a lot more forced.

“You’ll be fine. Just take it easy for the next few days, and don't get into any more serious battles.”

“I’ll do my best.”

Our eyes met for another moment. “I mean it,” he said, and this time he sounded sincere.

He checked up on Susie next. To my surprise and relief, she looked okay. Scared and confused, yes, but physically okay. And a few minutes with Asa seemed to soothe her as well. Soon she was lying against Japeth, eyes closed. Lucas leaned against him on the other side, reverted back to his original form. Asa gave a polite head bow and turned to leave.

He paused. Fortis’ eyes were closed, but his breathing gave him away. Moltres, we’d spent a lot of time together.

“Fortis?” said Asa.

The Blaziken hesitated. He pushed himself up into a sitting position. No point denying it, I suppose. Imagine how it would look if he was found out.

Fortis swallowed. “Mhm, it’s me. How are you, Asa?”

“I’m doing good, thank you for asking! Yourself?”

“Very well, thank you, Asa.”

“Fortis?” said Irina. “You said your name was Ketsuron.”

Fortis froze for an instant. “It’s my nickname.”

“We’ve another “Fortis” at the Academy,” Harriet interjected. Really?

“What are the odds?” said Asa. “What’s brought you here of all places? Is it…”

“The war,” Fortis said. His face was set. “Yes. It was. I wanted… to make sure my friends were safe. I know I haven’t seen any of you in a long time, but… I was worried. About… of this.”

I wiped a bead of sweat from my eye. Tobias’ head was halfway into his shell.

A Furnace Vulpix poked her head through the curtains. “Grande Mage, you’re needed in the emergency ward.”

“I’m sorry, I have to go. It was wonderful seeing you again, Fortis!”

With that he bounded out of the tent, and the healers gave a collective sigh of dejection.

I brought my knees to my chest. Khan was sat up, awake, just across from Tobias. He gave me a subtle nod.

This was bad.

Another twenty-four hours passed. I woke up late. The healers marked each hour with a solunar wheel hanging up on the wall: it was the Dustox’s hour, just before the dawn. Tobias was still asleep.

I needed some air. Or just to move around. Whatever.

I crept away when no one was looking. I really wasn’t supposed to be moving in my current state.

Whatever.

It was a little like the night market in Emerald Town. Three young Houndour huddled together under a noodles staff and where a Poliwrath was tossing the contents of an enormous heated pan into the air. At another stall, a Morgrem bought a dreamcatcher from the Drowzee behind the counter and held it over an enchanted Impidimp’s head. An Igglybuff and a Spinarak sat on a low wall down below the stalls and gazed up at the stairs.

I smiled. It was peaceful out here. My eyes were drooping; maybe I was feeling sleepy after all. Maybe I could relax.

Then a Hydreigon crossed my path. I instantly backed away. I was awake now. I think pure shock was the only thing stopping me from turning and bolting back the way I came.

The Hydreigon was buying oranges. She was singing a song about buying oranges.

“Orange, o-ran-ges, I have, o-ran-ges.”

Was she a Skarsgard? She wasn’t dressed in anything, she held nothing except a hamper in the crook of her elbow. Her mouth-hand accidentally crushed one of the oranges.

“I squashed, my o-range!”

“Happens to the best of us,” said the Drapion salesmon, holding up their claws. He was Ruby-coloured, burgundy-and-wine.

The Hydreigon gave a snort-laugh. “They say these things don’t have minds of their own, but they’ve clearly never seen me around strawberry shortcake!”

“Can you… Can you taste with the things?”

The Hydreigon’s mouth chewed up and swallowed the orange, peel and all. “Om nom nom.”

“That’s really weird.”

“Haha yeah.”

“You still have to pay for that.”

“Haha yeah.”

She reached into her hamper. An orange fell to the ground. For some reason, some reason I can’t really explain, I picked it up and handed it to her.

“Oh, thank you, I-”

Her eyes went wide. My Metal Claws activated on their own.

“Oh jimminy, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” She handed the money to the Drapion, absent-minded. “Are you okay? You look like you should go to the hospital.”

“I’m fine,” I said. “Thanks for asking okay bye now.”

“Wait, wait,” she held out a mouth-hand, but didn’t touch me. “What happened to you? Are you a soldier?”

“No,” I said, far too quickly.

“Oh. Did… Did you…” she looked south, the direction of Ruby Forest.

I nodded. She hesitated, then lower herself closer to my level. “Can I ask you something? I mean, it’s totally cool if you don’t want to talk about it, but… what was it like?”

“I think this I’ms your answer.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked. Here,” she handed me the orange, “you hungry?”

I was. I ripped off the skins and swallowed it in a few bites.

“I’m Rei,” said the Hydreigon. “I’d offer to shake your hand but I might end up biting it off!”

“Eternatus, you make that joke _every time_ ,” the Drapion said.

“Because it’s funny every time.”

“Are you a soldier?” I asked.

“Nah, I’m not cut out for that king of life. My big sister is though! I’m just here to take care of her and her daughter while she fights. My sister’s name is Heidi, and my niece’s name is Nin; she’s a Deino, but she’s really strong, she wants to become a Skarsgard Dame too!”

I don’t think I hid my surprise very well. Rei looked down.

“I know. I know I don’t exactly look like a Skarsgard Pokémon, but I’m not like those Varia Pokémon! I don’t believe in any of that stuff Dreigo does about Ruby Forest. And it’s not right that he _stole_ the throne, even if, you know, it’s not like she _earned_ it or anything, she just happened to be the King’s daughter. Personally I think we should have some kind of voting system like they do in Tenrai. Really I wish we didn’t have to fight, and I don’t feel comfortable getting involved. I’m a pacifist. I mean except for now, cause we don’t really have a choice, you know? Does that sound weak?” she asked the Drapion.

“The hell do I know? I sell oranges.”

“The Pokémon on the other side probably feel the same way,” I said. Why did I say that?

“According to some of the Pokémon here Hydreigon are just power-hungry tyrants who can’t control themselves and attack their own shadows,” said Rei.

“There are Charmander on the Varia side.” And why did I say _that?!_

“I know. One of Dreigo’s worst soldiers is a Charizard. I mean, best, if you’re a Varia, but worst if you’re a Skarsgard. My sister keeps saying she hopes she meets him on the battlefield, that it would be like a kind of poetry. I don’t think I like the idea of poetry where someone gets hurt. Kinda seems antithetical to what poetry is, you know?”

“Do you ever battle?” I asked. “Hydreigon are pretty high-level.” I’ve given up on myself at this point.

“I do sometimes, but just for fun. Mostly I think I just hated being a Zweilous. We were always fighting each other, and that’s just not a way for two conjoined heads to live. I know, I seem kind of a pansy-”

“I didn’t say that.”

“A lot of Hydreigon give in to their nature and make aggression their whole, you know, _thing_. But I don’t believe in letting your species decide your fate. That’s only part of who you are. And there’s always a way to work things out!”

“Hey!” someone behind me called. It was the Unfezant. “Get back inside! You’re not supposed to be moving yet!”

“I have to go,” I said, “it was nice meeting you.”

“You too, person who’s name I don’t know.”

“It’s Booster.”

“Booster! That’s such a cool name!”

I waved goodbye, and followed the impatient healer back inside the tent. I glanced over my shoulder. Rei blushed and looked away.

Morning came. The curtains opened. A Charizard walked in.

He was tall, even for his species; he wore a charcoal-grey stetson with a Talonflame feather sticking out of one side; a polished orange badge the same tone as his skin was pinned just below it. When he saw me he smiled a warm smile, came and sat down in front of me.

“Booster, is it?” He had an accent; it sounded kind of like Harriet’s.

I swallowed. “Yeah. That’s me.”

He extended a hand.

“I’m Thomas Byrne, my friends call me Feather. I heard about you guys from Asa, and I was wondering if you’d be interested in joining forces with us once you’ve healed. I know you’ve all been through a lot, and you must be fairly battle-fatigued by now, so I won’t pressure you either which way, but I thought I’d come and let you know there’ll be a place open for you all. We’ve a Squadron from the Vanguard in need of a tenth, and they’d really benefit from another fire-type since they lost their last member. They’re called the Victory Hunters; I thought that’d be fitting.”

“We’ll have to think about it,” said Khan, “but thank you for considering us.”

“I’ll be in the Enderpyres’ tent, it’s the black-and-red one across from the royal pavilion. You can stop by any time if you change your mind. D’you’ve a place to go after the battle?”

“Probably back to the coastlands,” I said, borrowing from the script.

“Sure, sure. But while you’re here, there’s no need to be a stranger. We could always use more strong Pokémon!”

“Then why did you come to me?” I asked.

The Charizard laughed.

“Ah, now, there’s no need to be modest. Especially not around a bunch of soldiers!”

He glanced down.

“Hey, what’s that you’ve got there?”

The Chariz-Fang.

“I got it from a friend,” I told him.

“From Ruby Forest?”

I swallowed. “Mhm.”

“That’s mad, sure. How would it have ended up there of all places?”

“Items appear around the fringes of the Forest sometimes,” I said, “from adventurers who get too cocky and think they can take the challenge.”

“Clearly someone managed it! That was quite something, you know? Coming all the way through from the _coastlands_.”

“I had my friends,” I said, “that’s the only reason I made it through alive.”

“Well listen, if you and your friends are interested at all, I’m never far away.Come by any time!”

“I don’t know,” I said, “I’m not so sure I’d be soldier material.”

A patient smile. “I suppose you’ll never know until you git it a try.” He stood to leave. “It was nice to meet you, Booster.”

He ducked back through the curtains. Tobias leaned in close.

“How did he know we were from the coastlands?” he said. “You don't think… they didn’t look through our stuff, did they? If they did- hey, hey, what’s wrong? Alex, you’re shaking.

“They know who I am,” I said, low so only he could hear. “That was him, from the vision. The one who called my name. That’s why they sent him here. _They know who I am_.”


	16. Free Up Your Mind

_“If you’re faced with a difficult decision and you let someone else choose for you, you will regret it, no matter how it turns out.” - NPC, Ruby and Sapphire_

“Hey!”

I ignored it.

“ _Hey!_ Wait! Come back!”

I’d told Tobias I was getting some air in my tail, that I needed to walk around for a couple of hours. Or at least until Irina noticed that I was gone. I stepped outside the hospital, wandered lazily around to the back facing the open hills. Then I bolted.

The village was almost out of sight. Harriet was racing up the hill after me.

“Why are you running? _Why are you running?_ ”

I slowed down and waited for her.

“Just…” she was holding up a wing, bent over double, “just give me a minute… _UGH! I hate hills!_ ”

I kept running.

“Oh, wise guy, eh?”

A giant blue spinning top rushed past, skidded to a halt in front of me.

“You had the energy to use a Drill Peck but you didn't have the energy to run up a hill?”

She was still panting. “It’s easier, vertical, when you…” she shook her head. “No, stop trying to change the subject. What the hell do you think you’re doing, Alex?”

I tried to push past her. She held out her wing. “Stop. Just talk to me for one minute. Where are you going?

“I’m getting out of here before they throw me in _jail_!” I snapped.

“Are you nuts? If they actually _did_ know who you were they would have _already_ locked you up.”

“They’re screwing with me,” I said, rubbing my mouth, “I’m telling you, they’re trying to mess with my head.”

“They wouldn’t “screw” with a wanted criminal. You need to take a moment and think-”

I ducked under her wing and made a break for it. Harriet called after me:

“If you run away moments after one of them approaches you they might just figure it out. And then they’ll turned on _us_.”

I stopped.

“You think you’re doing something real heroic right now, don’t you? If you run away and you’re gone forever the consequences of your actions will disappear with you. You think you’re protecting us, right? But you’re not. You can’t take the easy way out of this one.”

I put my face in my hands. “Of course. You’re right. I’m sorry, I-”

“Don’t.” She knelt down in front of me. She hugged me as close as she could without breaking my nose with her collar.

“What do I do, Harriet? I can’t go back to the Varias. But how can I stay here? We’re in more and more danger every second we stay here! We are _literally_ out of the frying pan and into the fire!”

“No, Alex, this is different; we can _reason_ with these Pokémon. Also that is _definitely_ not a literal comparison.”

“You want to reason with the same Pokémon that sent other Pokémon to Pokénap me?”

She thought for a moment. “Well then, that’s proof of one of two things. Either they don't know who you are, because if they did they’d grab you on the spot; or, they knew who you are, but they’re aren’t making any moves yet.”

“But why? Why would they let me live? Why don’t they realise?”

“Why don't they realise their human enemy metamorphosed into a Charmander and moseyed on back through Ruby Forest to walk _right_ into their campsite?”

“One of them must have known! Otherwise how would those Pokénappers have known who I was?” I frowned. “Wait. You were with them. Did they say anything to you about _who_ you were looking for?”

She paused for a moment. “A Charmander named Alex. That was pretty much it. But for all they know that Alex is still in Emerald Town. They haven’t received any information from Alister or the others, we made sure of that.”

I paced in a circle. “That Charizard. Feather. The one who was in the Time Flower, the one who called my name. That’s too suspicious. Why would he single me out, out of _everyone_ there?”

She shrugged. “You are a pre-evolutionary cousin.”

“I guess. Technically. Did you hear what he said to me?”

“He was inviting you to join the Skarsgards.”

“Maybe you’re right, maybe they don’t know. Or maybe they _do_! Maybe they’re trying to bring me neutralise me, or something.”

“Neutralising you would be taking you _out_ of the picture, this is them trying to _affirm_ you.”

“Suddenly you care about semantics.”

She crossed her wings. “I think you might be underestimating me a little bit, there, friend. I may not be a soldier, but I’m not stupid. I know how _war_ works, that’s why I’m a part of it.”

“Sorry, I just… I just… I can’t think straight. I have no idea what to do, Harriet.”

“Do you want to join their side?”

I blinked. “What?”

“Do you want to join their side? The Skarsgards. Do you want to join them?”

I didn’t answer.

“Running away to the Varias would be the easiest option by far, but you don’t want to do that! You _freaked_ when you saw what they were trying to do back there, you _clearly_ want nothing to do with them. Besides you couldn’t exactly show up to Dreigo’s door with a bunch of Ruby Pokémon, could you?”

I looked back to the tent. Khan was watching from the base of the hill, a fin shielding his eyes from the sun. Irina appeared behind him, squawking about some violation or another.

“I’ll go and fetch the others,” said Harriet. “Stay out of trouble.”

She looked back at the camp. Irina was watching me from just beyond the hospital. A Furnace Vulpix poked her head out of the entrance. Two guardsmon on patrol, a Mudsdale and a Drednaw, had their eyes on us as well.

“And stay where we can see you,” she added, quietly.

Roy’s eyes glowed as he watched for intruders. We stood down the other side of the hill. A Fearow flew overhead and to the right, high up in the sky. Other than that, we were alone.

Khan was the first to speak: “We can’t get involved. We’ll thank them for their help, offer some small compensation, something _impermanent_ like monual labour, and then we’ll leave. This isn’t our fight.”

Roy’s eyes blinked out. “Of course it is!” he said. “We need to fight for Ruby Forest! For our home!”

“It isn’t your home anymore, Roy.”

“That is not your call to make, Dracen.”

The air turned chilly, fast.

“Ruby Forest is all we’ve ever known,” said Lucas, now in his pink-furred and purple-skinned Volcarona form, “it’s where Japeth and I got married, raised a _child_. No one in there even knows this is _happening_! We need to warm them!”

Fortis nodded approval. “Exactly my thinking.”

“If we ever go back to Ruby Forest, we’ll be killed,” said Bucky, “no matter what our intentions are.”

“Then we send a message. Outsiders have come to the Forest before and walked free.”

“Oh yeah, just about!” said Tobias.

“It seems extremely unlikely they’d ever be believed,” said Alana.

“Then we’ll send more of them!”

“More of who, exactly?” said Fortis. “Who here do you think has the authority to do that?”

“Isn’t Dracen supposed to be a big deal in Itori?” said Striker.

“Right now neither Dracen _nor_ Khan Buckeye exists,” said the Garchomp. “Call me Tom Ado or Caesar Salad, I don’t even care anymore.”

“Peter Bread!” said Harriet.

“Very helpful, thank you, Harriet.”

“These Pokémon are meant to be protecting the Forest,” said Eliza, “I’m sure they’ll be willing to help us!”

“They’re protecting their Queen and their way of living,” said Fortis, “I’m not sure how much Ruby Forest _itself_ has to do with it. But either way, they’re the best shot we have.”

“I’m not fighting for the sake of the Pokémon who just tried to kill us five _minutes_ ago!” Japeth stomped his hoof on the ground.

“What about the Pokémon we’ve known all our lives?” said Lucas.

“We’ve known Achilleus all our lives! And he’s a _monster_ , Lucas! He was about to attack our _child_ without a moment’s thought! Let him _rot_ for all I care!”

“Do you think I don’t feel the same way?!” Lucas snapped. Susie recoiled, shuffling closer to Fortis. “Do you think I would ever forgive that creature?! Do you think I even want the bastard _alive_?! I _don’t_ , Japeth! But there are a hundred thousand other Pokémon in that forest that I _do_! Our _friends_!”

“My friends!” said Susie. “We have to help them! That’s what the Guardians do!”

“And the Forest Fires,” said Striker.

“We’re not Guardians anymore, Susie,” said Japeth.

“And we’re not “Forest Fires” anymore, Striker,” said Khan.

Then, to our surprise, Ewan stepped forward.

“I’m not a fighter,” he said. “I think you’ve all seen that much. But I don’t believe I’m a quitter. I don’t want to be the kind of Pokémon who sits back and does nothing while innocent lives are put in danger. You said it yourself Fortis; outside of the Forest I don’t _have_ to be one, I don’t have to spend my life battling for survival. I can give my life a new meaning. I want it to be this.”

“I think you may have a compelling case for the Varias, as well,” said Japeth. The fire on the tips of Lucas’ wings flared up in anger.

Alana looked to Eliza. “Well? Are you going to say anything?”

Eliza look from her to Japeth. She took a step back. Alana shook her head, disappointed.

“We don’t have to join _anyone_ ,” said Khan. “We don’t have to have any part in this. This isn’t a mission, this isn’t a quest to apprehend a thief or to find a lost child. This is war.”

“It can’t be any worse than what we just went through.”

“It _can_ , Eliza! You’ve been on the outside for forty-eight hours! You have no idea what you’ve gotten yourself into and you don’t have the slightest idea of what you’re suggesting! This isn’t a playground! You can’t just pick whichever side you like better on a whim!”

“What’s a “play-ground”?” said Susie.

The Fearow circled above our heads. We lowered our voices, as if that would have made any difference.

“I hate war,” Fortis said. “I despise it. It’s a disgrace to the Pokémon battle. It’s a disgrace to _Pokémon_ , and I've believed that since I left Ruby Forest, when Lord Finley saved my life as a Torchic and took me into his household. It taught me what it meant to serve for the sake of _honour_ , not for the sake of _glory_. But what the Varias are preparing for is war on a monumental scale, one that the Pokémon of the Forest can’t defend themselves against. I hate that place more than anywhere else in the world, but I’m not going to let innocents pay for that with their lives. I’m joining the Skarsgards.”

“I’ll pick the side that stands for everything I’ve stood for all my life,” said Roy. “Protecting the Pokémon of the Forest.”

“So will I,” said Alana.

“And me,” said Striker.

Alana looked at Eliza. The Heracross stood at her side. “I’ll go where my party goes.”

Bucky said nothing, but his silence was taken as agreement.

“I’m not a fighter,” said Ewan, “but I’m going to help in any way that I can.”

Khan, however, remained firmly planted on the fence.

“What about you two?” he asked, and there was an almost pleading tone to his voice.

Tobias’ face was set. He was ready to fight, even if I wasn’t.

“Harriet?”

The Empoleon looked away. “I… still need some time to think about it.”

The tension was still thick between Japeth and Lucas. Susie was still nuzzling up against Fortis. The Sawsbuck looked pained.

“I don’t want to be a part of this. Please.”

“They’ll still need Pokémon to protect the village from pillaging,” said Fortis, blocking Susie’s nose with his hand, “and someone needs to stay here with the kid.”

“I’m not a kid!”

“Someone needs to stay here with the young adult Deerling.”

“… All right,” said Japeth. “I’m okay with that. These Pokémon did take us in. And I would never condone attacking civilians, regardless.”

Striker snorted.

“Consider yourself lucky you’re a civilian now, Staraptor.”

“But you won’t be,” said Khan, “not if we join them. We’ll all be soldiers now, one way or another.”

A silence hung over us. The Fearow circled over our heads. The sun reflected blue-and-orange off of their armour down onto our heads.

“Looks like we’ll be going our separate ways from here,” Bucky said.

And so we did.

Tobias and I stayed on top of the hill for a while. We had a view of a wide lake with blue Surskit skittering along its surface, brown Arrokuda stirring up the water below them. A red-brown Ursaring was walking back to camp with two large pails of water on her shoulders, humming a song.

“If we’re going to stay here, we at least need to play ball,” Tobias said.

“Does that mean pretending to be Skarsgards then turning our backs on them when we change our minds?”

“It means we won’t have a repeat of the Pokénapping attempt.”

“I don’t know if I can side with these Pokémon, Tobias! Not after what they did to you, and me, and Mickey.”

“The Varias are about to do something much worse. You saw…”

“You don’t have to beat around the bush. I saw it.”

“Pun intended?”

“… Pun intended.”

“You know we could just leave, don’t you? The Professor’s right, we don’t _have_ to take anyone’s side.”

“You can leave,” I said, “this was never your responsibility. But I can’t. I have to make what I did right somehow.”

“Then I’m not leaving either.”

“Tobias-”

“Don’t you “Tobias” me. I’ve been through hell with you already so don’t act like you expect me to get cold feet now. I really hope you don’t think of me that way. I told you before and I’ll tell you again. I’ll go wherever you go.”

I shook my head, but a smile cracked through. “You’re too stubborn for your own good.”

“Hah. That’s a first.”

A broad-shouldered Typhlosion knight walked by, blue-and-orange armour clinking. A Braixen carrying a stack of letters veered around him. A Drakloak walked right into her and the Dreepy on her head shot out, hitting the Typhlosion in the back. The four of them laughed the incident off, and they bent down to help the Braixen pick up her letters.

“What are you going to do about your identity?”

“Does my old identity even matter anymore?”

“If they figure it out, then yeah, a little. And if you’re found going undercover under a different name, as a different _species_ , how is that going to look?”

I looked down, dejected. The Chariz-Fang caught my eye. I lifted it up between my fingers.

“Why do you think Miloslav gave me this?”

“As a thank you?”

“Seems pretty extravagant for a thank you gift, doesn’t it? This is a _really_ rare item and you know what else? It’s a _powerful_ item. He’s a _Charmeleon_ ; something like _this_ falls into his lap and he just tosses it away?”

“None of his attacks looked like Pokémon attacks to me; I’m pretty sure Charmeleon can't even learn ghost-type attacks. I know Charmander can’t. It was obviously magic. Maybe he wasn’t even using it in the first place.” He paused. “Alex? You there?”

I didn’t answer him. A Flareon ran ahead of us, a heavy messenger's back around her shoulders. She dropped one off in front of a Sandile, who snatched it up in his mouth. A Charizard with blue cloth covering his wings flew over our heads. I stared at the Fang for a few moments. Then I got to my feet and sprinted down the hill.

“Where are you going?” Tobias called. “Booster!”

“Meet me at the hospital,” I called up from halfway, “I’ll be there in an hour. If I’m not, look for me in Feather's tent.”

His face went pale. “What are you going to do?”

Selfishly, I didn’t answer him. He would have tried to stop me. I turned and I kept running, until I was swallowed into the throng of Skarsgard Pokémon.

I asked around for Feather’s tent, and a confused Scizor pointed me in the right direction. It was blue-and-orange-and-pale-yellow canvas, lit by tall copper torches, larger than most of the others in the camp. I burst in without knocking; how do you knock on a tent, anyway?; and he broke away from conversation he was having with a Ninetales. A Hex Ninetales, rich golden fur, with a mechanical leg.

“Booster!” Feather said. “It’s good to see you!”

“I need to talk to you.” I glanced at the Ninetales. “Alone.”

“Okay, okay,” the Fox Pokémon said, “I know when I’m not wanted.”

“Because he just told you?”

“Mhm.” She stretched, shook. Feather watched her leave, then peeked out the curtains after her.

He closed it behind him and led me to a small round table.

“What’s this about?” he asked, in a much quieter voice.

“Before I tell you I need you to promise me, I need you to give me your sworn word as a knight of whatever, that you won’t harm any of my friends.”

He blinked. “What do you-”

“Please.”

Feather wore a pained expression. “If a friend of yours is planning to take action against the Skarsgard army, I can’t just stand by and do nothing.”

“Nobody is trying to do anything to anyone. It’s only me you want. Please just promise you’ll leave them out of this.”

He was flustered for a moment. “All right. As long as what you say is true, and they don’t pose a risk to anyone here,” he put his hand to his chest, “I give you my word, no harm will come to them by our volition. Now, what is it you wanted to tell me?”

“I think you know. Don’t pretend that you were singling me out just because I’m a Charmander. You know who I am, don’t you?”

Feather was still for a moment. I swallowed. The Booster Badge-

Feather’s face broke into a smile and he bent down to lift me up in a hug.

“Haha!” He tossed me in the air, caught me again. “I knew it! I knew it was you! I can't believe you're really here!”

“Ah, maybe you’re actually thinking of a different person.”

He lowered me and went down on one knee. “You came all that way. You came all that way back to us.”

“I… guess you’re not…”

“Alex,” he said softly, tears in his eyes, “Moltres, I really thought you were dead.”

“I thought that a couple of times as well.”

He laughed. There were tears in his eyes. “Look at you. You're a _Pokémon_.”

“So they tell me.”

“Of course you’d be a Charmander,” he said. “Do you remember when you were little, you dressed in an orange hood and strapped a torch to your back for _every_ halloween? And when Avalon dressed up as you?”

I didn't know what to say. I just smiled. Feather held me gently by the shoulders.

“Now this is important, Alex. Does anyone else know you’re here? Do any of the other Pokémon in the camp know who you really are?”

“You’re the first person I’ve told since you came here,” I said.

He looked touched. “Thank you. You were right to come for me first. Please don’t tell anyone else until we can be sure you're safe. From the Varias, I mean. Even if your parents come looking for you, you tell them your fake name, all right?”

“My parents?”

“I’m sorry, I know you probably don’t want to hear about them right now, but I need to know you understand. We can’t risk them attacking the village to look for you. Sure, you know what they're like, don’t you?”

“I don’t know,” I told him. “I don’t remember them. I don’t remember anything, I have amnesia.”

He blinked. “I’m sorry?”

I told him what had happened. I left out the Academy and any real names. But I told him I’d forgotten everything about my own identity. I told him I could remember a few Pokémon species, the type match-ups, how certain items worked, how certain Pokémon moves worked; not where I'd come from, not my friends, not my family, not even my _name_. Nothing that was connected to who I was. I'd even forgotten how to wield a sword.

Feather’s face grew more and more horrified every moment.

“You can't tell anyone,” I said. “Please, don't tell anyone. I don't know what they’ll do to me. I only told you because… I need someone here I can trust. My friends, the Pokémon I came with, they’re scared too, they don't know any of you, they're afraid of what will happen if I’m found out, I don’t know if I can even go back to them anymore in case I put them in danger, I… Please, Feather. I need your help. I need to know that we're _safe_.”

Feather ran a hand over his face. “Right. I see. Moltres, I’m sorry, it’s just a lot to take in. Of course, Alex. Of course you’re safe here. I would never let anything happen to you, not after losing you the first time. You have my word. As long as I live, you’ll have a place in the Skarsgards. I _promise_.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. Feather brought over a stool cut from a tree trunk and helped me up onto it. He handed and we sat across from each other.

“Where are my parents?” I asked. “Do they know I’m alive?”

“I’m sorry. I wish I didn’t have to tell you this, but your parents are with the Varias. I’m sure Dreigo’s told them some rubbish or another about where you are. I haven't seen them since they left six months ago.”

“The Varias have even _more_ humans?”

“What? No. You’re the only human in Itori. Or you were. Your parents are Charizard, they adopted you.” He put his hand on his chest. “Your mother is my aunt, she’s my mother’s sister. I’m your cousin, Alex.”

I swallowed. He looked so genuine. So _relieved_. He actually looked happy to see me.

“You’re not mad?” I asked. “I- You saw me. You were _there_!”

“I’m not mad at you. I know you didn’t know what you were doing. Dreigo lied to you, he manipulated you. I’m just… I’m just so glad you’re okay. None of us had any idea where you were, or what had happened to you, or if you’d even _survived_.”

I frowned. I placed the cup next to me on the stool. There was plenty of room.

“Is that why you sent Pokémon to kidnap me?” I said dully.

Feather eyes went wide. “ _What?_ ”

I told him what happened at Mt. Burgeon. Feather got to his feet. His tail flame flared. He sat his cup down so hard that some tea splashed over the side and rose to his feet.

“Come with me,” he said.

“Tell me where we’re going first.”

“We’re going to see Asa,” he said, with a face like thunder, “and we’re going to get to the bottom of this. I’ve no idea who set this up, but there’s no way they’re going to get away with it. No one does that to a member of my family.”

He offered his hand to help me off my seat. I stared at him for a moment before I got to my feet.

Family.

Asa’s tent was the same colour as Feather’s, with all different colours of jewels dangling from strings around its roof lining. Instead of guards with halberds or swords or spears, a Cradily and a Banette wearing bangles and bracelets and piercings stood by the entrance. When they saw Feather, they let us in without question, but their eyes lingered on me as I passed.

Inside, the tent glowed with the colours of a hoard of artefacts placed neatly on shelves or low tables. Jewels, precious metals, bands, bangles, wands, carved runes, silk garbs, orbs, vials, talismans. Asa stood by a low table with his vines hovering over a clay bowl filled with a white soil-like substance was a blue bellflower, glowing green, growing at an impossible speed. When Feather coughed, the magician jumped, and the flower shrunk back down into a bud.

“Feather,” Asa took his vines in, “and Booster too! This is a pleasant surprise.” He looked to my cousin.

“He already knows who he is, Asa. What _I_ want to know is how a band of Pokénappers knew as well.”

Asa looked between us. “What are you talking about?”

“Alex says that Skarsgard Pokémon were sent to Mt. Burgeon and attempted to Pokénap him;” said Feather, “two of them had even infiltrated Lord Finley’s personal guard.”

He looked genuinely shocked. “That’s not possible, no one ever knew where you were. No one even knew you were _alive_.”

“That’s what I told him. But I know Octavia consults with you about things like this. You said yourself that Alex is your responsibility.”

“Why am I _his_ responsibility?” I asked. “Are you my second cousin-once-removed or something?”

“Are you suggesting _I_ had some part in this?!” said Asa.

Feather raised a hand. “I’m not saying that. But there’s a way you can find out who did, right?”

“Not unless I know who they are.”

I repeated everything I knew about them. A Cacturne, a Drapion, a Fraxure, a Pangoro, a Dewott, a Litten, and- I stopped. They didn’t need to know anymore than that.

Feather and Asa shared a look.

“What?” I said.

“I’ll talk to the Queen,” said the Bulbasaur. “I won’t mention your name. We’ll try and work out who in our army could be responsible, and we’ll see that they’re stopped before they can do any more damage. I’ll ask that you and the other Ruby Forest refugees are placed under heavy guard. You don’t need to worry anymore; I give you my word that as long as you are here, I will do everything in my power to keep you safe.”

I smiled, sardonically. “As long as I’m a Skarsgard too, right?”

“Why don’t we talk this through-”

“No. You’re keeping me here. You’re not going to let me wander around freely. Just look at us now. You walked in ahead of me, and yet you’ve managed to put yourself between me and the exit.”

Asa said nothing. Feather said nothing.

“You’re trapping me here like, I don’t know, some kind of…”

“You don’t have to stay here at all,” said Asa. “A supply carriage is leaving for the Clifflands tomorrow. It’ll be unloading at Emerald Town along the way. We won’t stop you.”

“Even if you decide to stay here,” said Feather, “you won’t be forced to fight, I promise.”

I took a deep breath. “No. It’s all right. If I wasn’t going to fight I wouldn’t have stayed here. I have friends in Ruby Forest, and I want to protect them. I’m not going back to the Varias. I’m going to stay.”

Feather looked overjoyed. Asa gave me a warm smile. I told them I needed to find Tobias, that we’d promised to eat together. I left the tent alone.

The cart was waiting on the outskirts of the village. A Camerupt was free from his reigns and was grazing a few feet away. A Poliwhirl was unloading boxes of apricots.

I glanced over my shoulder. No one there. “‘Scuse me,” I said.

The Poliwhirl looked up.

“When are you leaving?”

“Dustox’s hour tomorrow morning, love,” she answered, “before sunrise. You looking for a lift?”

“Maybe,” I said, “I need to go ask to my friend first.”

“Right you are,” she handed the box to a Grimmsnarl, who carried it to a storage house.

I left to go and find my friend. Not to ask for advice. Just to talk.

I found him sitting on Harriet’s shoulder. They were peering over a gate at a crowd full of Pokémon gathered in front of a stage, set up just outside the hospital. A Ruby-coloured Scyther pointed me in the right direction. It was fenced off from the rest of the village, with a canvas overhead to protect Pokémon from the rain. Six Pokémon were gathered at the back of the stage with their instruments.

“What are you doing?”

“ _Shhhhhh!_ ” they went in unison.

“Fortis is up to something,” Tobias whispered.

“Is he okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, he’s fine.”

I narrowed my eyes. “So why are you spying on him?”

“I told you he’d be a goody-goody about it,” said Harriet.

I folded my arms. “Guys, what’s going on?”

The crowd cheered. A Tropius and a Lucario climbed up onto the stage.

“Why is he at a concert, huh?” said Harriet. “What use does a guy like Fortis have for _music_?”

“Everybody likes music!” I said.

“Since when did Fortis like anything fun?” Tobias countered.

“While we were partying and drinking Pecha Berry wine, he was studying the blade,” said Harriet.

“Mhm.”

“I’ve never seen this side of you before,” I said to Tobias, “I’m not sure I like it.”

“There! Do you see?” he said, pointing over the fence. “I think… I think he’s hiding.”

“He’s probably hiding from the two Pokémon _stalking him_.”

“He’s looking at one of the singers,” said Tobias.

“Which one, Emmet or Batu?” said Harriet.

“Whichever one the Tropius is.”

“ _Everyone_ is looking at the Tropius,” I said, “that’s the Pokémon _performing_.”

“Yeah but there’s _two_ of them,” said Tobias, “and you can’t see the other one from there. If he’s so interested in the performers, why is he only looking at one of the performers?”

The song began.

_Free up your mind_

_Oooooh, all right_

“Tobias, I need to talk to you,” I said.

“Right now?”

“Yeah, kinda!”

_Let the music free up your mind_

_Free up your mind_

_Free up your mind_

“He looks sad,” Tobias said.

“What kind of sad?” Harriet asked.

“Like… almost happy, but mostly sad.”

“Ohhhh no. You know what that means, right? Oh, actually, maybe you don’t.”

Tobias looked down. “Seriously? Fortis?” He looked back at the stage. “A _singer_?”

“Fine,” I said, “you’ve beaten me. Tell me what’s going on.”

“I will, if you’ll let me focus.”

I leaned back against the wall. The song played out.

_There must be something that you're longing to say_

_Give in to the rhythm_

_Let the music free up your mind_

“Hey stranger.”

A Volcarona with two dots for eyes poke his head out from the other side of the wall. He looked at Tobias and Harriet.

“Watcha up to there?”

“Spying,” said Harriet, “you?”

“Susie and Japeth and me are just here for the concert. No spying involved. You can join us if you want.”

“Sorry, we can’t,” said Tobias, “he’ll see us from there.”

“I know!” said Harriet. “What if you Transform into something that can hide us, so we can watch him without being seen?”

“Yeah, I really don’t feel like I’m gonna do that. Alex?”

“Oh, it’s okay, I don’t want to impose.”

“You wouldn’t be-”

“He’s leaving,” said Tobias.

“What? Why?”

“How would I… Actually, he looks kind of upset.”

_Hey you, over there_

_I know you got a problem but don't despair_

“Do you think it’s something to do with his ex?” I said.

“You turned fast,” said Harriet.

_See, me, I had no soul_

_Till I found myself with rock ’n’ roll_

_Rock and roll!_

“It’s hard to tell, but… Nope, I can’t see him, he’s gone.”

“Can we talk now?” I said.

_Free up your mind_

_Let the music free up your mind_

_And it will help you to find_

Harriet lowered Tobias to the ground.

“What’s up?”

_Let the music help you to find_

_The beats will give you a sign_

_Ooohh, let the music free up your mind_

_Free up your mind_

“I have to leave,” I told him, “I can’t be with these Pokémon. They said that I can either stay with them or go back to Emerald Town, but I don’t want to do that either. I’m not going to be manipulated by them.”

“So what? You’re going to join the Varias?”

_Let the music free up your mind_

_Let the music help you to find_

“I’m not joining _anyone_. I’m going to make things right on my _own terms_.” I took the Booster Badge out of the badged and clipped it to my scarf, tucked it in where it wouldn’t be easily seen. They could search my possessions if they wanted, but they weren't going to find it there. “I’m not going to be a puppet for these Pokémon. I’m going to decide _for myself_.”

_Ooohh, let the music free up your mind_

_Free up your mind_

“I’m going to talk to Dreigo. I know there’s a way to figure this out! Dreigo was my friend, he’ll listen to me! If I can just talk to him, I can change his mind about attacking Ruby Forest.”

_Hey you, hey you_

_Hey you, hey you-ooo_

_Hey you, hey you_

“I’ll tell him about everything I learned there, about everyone I met. That there are good Pokémon in there we can _trust_. That they’re on _our_ side. We can find a way to work together!”

_Free up your mind_

“ _Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!_ ”

Multiple screams at once. Harriet kicked down the fence. Several Pokémon, a dozen, arched their backs or bent over double, clutching themselves. Black smoke-like-oil, or oil-like-smoke, or _something_ , was dripping and rising from the mouths. Their eyes turned black, shot with red.

The twelve Pokémon jerked upright. A pink-winged Scyther, a scarlet Dragalge, a wine-coloured Liepard, a purple Luxio with a red tint in her black fur, a purple Palpitoad, an orange Galvantula, a eggplant-coloured Heracross, a red-limbed Tropius, a red-skinned Rillaboom, a maroon Stunky, a purple Druddigon, and a purple Qwilfish.

The Scyther created a swarm of duplicates, all of them spilling out the same oily-smoke, or smoky-oil. Confusion and panic spread through the crowd.

A long, flickering tail of seafoam-coloured energy burned through the air as the Dragalge swung her body around, striking a Rhyperior in the stomach and sending him flying, taking several others down with him.

The Liepard slunk through the crowd, striking them with Throat Chop before slipping away before anyone could grab ahold of her.

The Luxio used Magnet Rise to carry her body into the sky. She grabbed the canvas with her fangs and claws and ripped it apart.

The Palpitoad fired a ball of water into the air. Clouds formed and rain fell.

The Galvantula raised her pedipalps to the sky. The clouds turned to black and thunder struck down from the sky.

Pokémon scrambled over one another in their desperate panic. Pokémon fell, and didn’t stand up again. Several flying-types soared overhead, targeting the rampaging Pokémon with aerial strikes. The Heracross dodged their attacks, firing torpedoing rocks to Smack Down the Pokémon trying to catch him.

The Tropius raised her forelegs and slammed them into the ground. Earthquake rattled the whole field and sent the entire crowd crashing to the ground. There were piles of them now, all kicking and clawing at one another to break free.

The Rillaboom climbed up onto the stage. He arched his back and cried a Noble Roar.

The Stunky’s Poison Gas choked everyone around her.

The Druddigon’s hands glowed green-blue as they stretched out; they grew tight round scales and six long, sharp claws that slashed wildly at every Pokémon she could see.

The Qwilfish shot into the air on a jet of water and her spikes glowed murky-green; Fell Stinger dropped down on a Sigilyph’s back and sent him crashing to the ground. The Balloon Pokémon glowed bright orange.

A Patrat held her stomach and gasped for air. A Dwebble was trembling in their shell. A Cubchoo was crying out for her father. A Beartic picked her up and took the Heracross’ Brick Break to the back. A Cubchoo was curled up under the broken fence, knees tucked into to his chest, sobbing. These weren’t soldiers. These were young Pokémon, old Pokémon, injured Pokémon.

Lucas had Transformed into a Haxorus and was carrying Susie away, hunched over against the Druddigon’s Dragon Claw attack. Japeth fired Seed Bomb, it smacked into the Cave Pokémon’s side and unleashed a cloud of smoky-oil from her body. The Liepard landed a Throat Chop to the Sawsbuck’s neck. Lucas extended his arm and pulled him away by the horn.

A red Venomoth used her Psychic to lift injured Pokémon off the ground and carry them to safety. A red Lurantis blocked an Air Slash meant for the Cubchoo.

“What the hell is wrong with those Pokémon?!” a Combusken screamed in her face.

The Tropius singer hit the Heracross with Razor Leaf; the Single Horn Pokémon retaliated with Aerial Ace. He swerved back around and his Pin Missiles stabbed into his opponent’s back, piercing his wings. Smack Down landed a direct hit. The Tropius fell.

“ _Emmet!_ ”

Fortis tossed his swords to the ground. Was he going to try to catch him?!”

The Venomoth slowed his fall. Fortis knelt down over him, hands hovering but not quite touching. The Tropius lifted his head.

“Fortis?”

The Heracross picked up the swords and charged at them. Fortis Blaze Kicked him in the chest. The Heracross flipped backwards and recovered, darted forward again and cut him across the shins.

“Don’t hurt him!” the Tropius cried.

Now the smoky-oil rose from the swords as well. The Heracross cut his other shin, disabling him at a crucial moment. He went for his throat.

Emmet Body Slammed into Fortis, knocking him out of the way. The swords cut through fruit from under his chin, missing his throat an inch. Harriet’s Hydro Cannon hit the Heracross in the back of the head.

The first soldiers came. Maybe a twenty, maybe more, down the streets or from the ground or leaping over roofs. They were led by six Pokémon in heavy black-and-orange armour; an Emboar with a mechanical arm, and a Ninetales with a mechanical leg; a Barbaracle, covered in scars; a Charizard with one glass eye, another with a blue-and-yellow scarf around his neck. And my cousin, the one with the Talonflame feather sticking out of his hat.

An Arcanine jumped from the roof and hit the Luxio with Will-O-Wisp. The smoky-oil swallowed it whole. Behind her the Qwilfish summoned a Whirlpool, trapping her inside. She dove in after her, using the current's force to ram into her side.

The Ninetales jumped in after her. The Arcanine was kicking blindly. The Qwilfish rammed into her back. The Ninetales grabbed the Arcanine by the leg. Take Down hit her in the stomach, knocking her out of the water.

The Barbacle jumped in, blocked the Take Down with her claws, and kicked the Qwilfish away. Stone Edge cut through the water and dug into the Balloon Pokémon’s body. The Barbaracle caught the Arcanine before she fell.

The Emboar’s Hammer Arm clashed with the Rillaboom’s Superpower, overpowering him. He pushed back and wrapped his arms around his waist and slammed him to the floor with Heat Crash, and they broke through the stage beneath them.

The Palpitoad’s Hydro Pump missed me by inches. I drew my sword and charged at her. I slipped on the oily-smoke. She summoned another-

The Lucario slid in front of me. Flash Cannon broke through the Hydro Pump, disintegrating it. The Palpitoad slammed both feet on the ground and a ball of mud shout out; she span and slapped it with its tail so it hit the Lucario in the torso. The Lucario stumbled but I caught him before he fell. He held his paws out in front of him and a brilliant blue ball of energy formed in his palms. The Palpitoad slammed her feet against the ground but Aura Sphere hit her square in the stomach.

He shook the water from his fur.

“Are you all right?” he said, offering me his paw.

“Are you?” I asked. “That was a super-effective attack.”

The Aura Pokémon patted his torso. “Singers have strong stomachs. There are more ways to train than just battling, you know.”

Feather met the Ruby Tropius in the sky. The Fruit Pokémon fired Hyper Beam. Feather blocked with his Skarsgard shield. He grit his teeth and pushed, deflected the attack. He drew his longsword; it was orange-and-yellow, studded with a green diamond. His opponent tried to pull away but Feather was too fast for her. He slashed the Tropius across the face, once, twice, three times. Flamethrower swallowed her, and she fell to the ground, where the one-eyed Charizard had cleared a space.

Thunder struck from above. The one-eyed caught it with his greatsword, and it never travelled past the guard. He drove it into the earth, and the ground crackled and buzzed. The smoky-oil Pokémon were dazed by the flash. A swarm of orange-glowed Razor Leaves took care of the rest.

The other soldiers were trying to calm the crowd, lifting injured Pokémon off the floor, protecting the heavier Pokémon who couldn't be easily moved, and pinning the attackers down.

“One of them is missing,” said the one-eyed Charizard, “where’s the Dragalge?”

The stage was in pieces. The rain spattered on the ripped-up shreds of canvas. The earth was torn inside-out. Debris was scattered everywhere.

“Tobias!” I called. “Tobias!”

I stepped in something.

I looked down.

I gagged.

Blood.

Reinforcements were gathering around the area, two minutes too late. Pokémon were calling for one another. Some were still on the ground. Others were simply crying.

“Heidi, please…”

Oh no.

“Heidi, please, get _up_. We need to get you to the hospital. Heidi. Heidi!”

I turned a corner. A Hydreigon was lying on her side, covered in dust. Her eyes and her mouth were closed. I won’t go into more detail. Rei was leaning over her, trying to shake her awake. Her mouth-hands were biting down so hard that they were bruising her.

“Rei,” I said. She didn’t hear me.

A Crustle was lying on top of the Dragalge, pinning her down. Even so, she needed to be restrained further by a Primeape holding a chain around her neck. Her tail lashed out violently, glowing seafoam. A Ruby-coloured Noivern stamped his foot down on her.

Rei was oblivious to all of this. I’m not sure she would have noticed if the Dragalge had been coming straight for her. She gave up trying to shake or bite or beg her sister awake. She rested her head on her chest. Her tears cleaned tracks across the dust.

“Please wake up.”


	17. The Victory Hunters

_“Mirrors can be scary, can't they? Sometimes after I work through the night, I look into the mirror and I seem to see a stranger staring back at me…" - Professor Burnet, Pokémon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon_

I shook Harriet’s shoulders, trying to rouse her. Fortis got down on his knees and placed his ear against her chest. He got to his feet and kicked her in the side. She opened her eyes, groaned, pushed herself up.

“What the hell happened?!” she said.

“You’re asking the wrong Pokémon,” said the Blaziken.

Tobias had found me consoling Rei. When he’d seen Heidi’s body, he’d almost passed out. Because of our previous injuries, we’d been offered a chance to lay down and rest. We all refused.

Tobias picked up bits of smoking debris with glassy eyes. I met his gaze. He didn’t smile, but gave me a sympathetic nod.

I don’t know how to comprehend what I just saw.

Fortis was seething with rage. Emmet had been carried off to the hospital by volunteers. He’d asked Fortis to stay behind and help.

Fortis tried to force a plank of wood into a hole in the wall, ended up snapping it in half. Harriet handed him another one. She’d been silent since I’d woken her.

Lucas and Japeth had taken Susie to the hospital. They'd told Ewan about the incident and he’d come down to help. The Emboar with the mechanical arm was giving orders to the volunteers. At first he’d suggested that Ewan help fix one of the windows that had been damaged, but that idea had been abandoned when it became obvious that he didn't know what a nail was. He was placed on emotional support duty, which turned out to be a great fit for him, and I was given the window.

I bent down to pick up the hammer. The Booster Badge rattled in my bag.

Someone cleared their throat. “Excuse me…”

I turned around. A Houndour stood before me. He was wearing Skarsgard clothing.

“Booster, I assume?”

I nodded.

“My name is Sir Grant.” A head bow, the quadrupedal equivalent of a handshake. “Commander Byrne asked me to meet with you.”

“Feather sent you?”

Sir Grant stiffened. “I assume you are _close_ with him, then. He sent my squadron and I here just before the Ruby Pokémon attacked.”

The Ruby Pokémon.

I was stunned for a moment. “No… Ruby Pokémon aren’t like that.”

“Would you be interested in meeting everyone?” he said, talking over me. “Tomorrow, after you’ve completed your work here?”

“Sorry,” I said, picking up the hammer, “but I might be a while finishing this.”

“Of course, as you were. It was nice to meet you.”

“Same here.”

The Houndour gave another bow, and walked away to help a Litleo and Skrelp struggling with a burnt wooden I-beam.

Then I saw Feather watching me, a pile of charred debris in his arms.

“Really?” I said.

He shrugged. “You don’t have to tell them anything.”

“I’m getting kinda tired of this Meowth-and-Pikachu chase, Feather.”

“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. But even if you don’t enlist it’d still be nice to make some friends your age, you know? You were never really able to do that before. Someone for you and Tobias to spend time with?”

I groaned. “All right. I guess it couldn’t hurt to say hi.”

“Finish fixing that frame first.”

“Yeah, I’ll be honest with you,” I looked down at the hammer and nail in my hand and the jumble of wood in front of me, “I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing.”

Feather chuckled. “I’m not sure anyone here does.”

We met with them at the Fomantis’ hour the next day. Feather walked us there, wished us luck, then spread his wings and took off over the campsite. He was flying pretty low, only a few inches above the tent roofs.

I guess that made sense. No need to attract any extra attention.

Their tent was orange-and-yellow, barely big enough for ten medium-sized Pokémon, with a plain wooden sign hanging above the entrance reading: “Victory Pavilion.”

I raised my hand.

“Oh there’s nowhere to knock.”

Tobias rang the bell banging right in front of me. Sir Grant answered. He looked genuinely shocked.

“You came.” He coughed, corrected himself. “Thank you for agreeing to meet with us, Booster.”

“I brought my friend with me,” i said, “I hope that’s cool?”

“Of course,” a small bow, “it’s a pleasure to meet you…”

“Bruiser,” my partner said.

“Well met.” He glanced over his shoulder, then stepped aside.

A Quilava, standing on her back paws. She looked us up and down. She was unimpressed.

“Dame Avalon Amarillo,” said the Houndour, “leader of the Victory Hunters.”

The Victory Hunters.

“You’re here to meet the crew?” Dame Avalon said. She waved us in. “Come on.”

It was simpler than Feather’s tent, not made for long-term living, tent flaps leading to two other rooms. Six other Pokémon were crammed into the main room. A bedroom was separated by a sheet of fabric.

Avalon introduced us: Niamh, the Pansear, Tess, the Forretress, Baz, the Octillery, Art, the Magnemite, Agatha, the Dewott, and Scar, the Absol.

“You’ve met Bonnie.”

“Bonnie?” I said.

The Houndour stiffened.

“To _friends_ ;” he said, “it’s considered proper in the crownlands to refer to a soldier by their last name, their first if a last name is lacking.”

“Well we’re trying to make friends, aren’t we?” said Agatha. “Be a little more welcoming!”

“Speaking of which,” said Tess, “I think we’re missing one.”

“Probably no one important,” said Baz, and the Forretress laughed.

“Where is he?” said Avalon.

“Napping,” said Bonnie.

“Don’t be a snitch!” said Scar.

“Nathan!” Avalon barked. “Get your ass out here!”

The flap lifted. Out walked the ninth member. A Charmander. But he wasn’t like me. His skin was gold, and it sparkled with every movement. His tail fire was the colour of a marigold flower.

Tobias just raised a hand and said hello, but I found myself unable to speak.

“See something you like?” said the Shiny Pokémon.

I blinked. “What?”

“Sit down, Nate,” the Quilava said, irritated.

We gathered on a black-and-white checkered rug on the ground; Niamh handed out small wooden cups of Oran juice. Avalon sat across from me, back straight like a biped, paws pressed together. The Skarsgard army had a number of roles, she told me: Soldiers, guardsmon, scouts, spies. They even had a ranking system. There were seven ranks, and the Victory Hunters were Rank Four. They’d lost a team member in the first battle, and were looking for someone to fill the role. I’d be given arms and armour, and richly rewarded for my service if the Skarsgards came out victorious. If not, then…

“Look,” Avalon said, setting her cup down, “all of this is up to you at the end of the day. You shouldn’t join if you feel pressured in any way.”

“It sounds like she’s being nice but that’s actually a legal disclaimer,” said Nate. Avalon kicked him in the leg.

“You have twelve hours to think it over. But we need your final decision before then, so we can prepare you for the battle.”

I looked at Tobias. He gave me a reassuring looking. We had decided on the way there. It hadn’t taken long.

“I don’t need twelve hours. I’m ready. I want to help.”

“Good.” She got to her feet. “But first we need to make sure _we_ want _you_.”

The battlefield sat the other end of a small slope behind the tent. The other soldiers looked down on us. I was paired with Tess. We’d be facing Baz and Art. Similar levels of power. Egos on the line. This was my chance to prove myself.

“I’ll take Baz,” Tess whispered in my ear, “you deal with Art.”

“Shouldn’t we be working together?”

The Foretress gave me a derisive look. Avalon hailed the beginning of the battle.

Yellow geometric lines crossed over Art’s eye as he Locked-On. Baz leaned in close and whispered in my ear:

“One time I licked Nate’s skin to see if it tasted like honey but it didn’t it tasted like skin.”

My face contorted in disgust. That was the move Confide. My least favourite of all moves.

Tess used Gyro Ball, Baz dodged. I summoned a Fire Spin, Zap Cannon cut through through it, creating a small explosion that sent me skidding over the ground. I stayed on my feet. Art launched a Mirror Shot. Tess strengthened herself with Iron Defence. Baz’ eyes gleamed. A ball of orange energy formed in her mouth.

“Look out!”

I jumped in front of my battle partner, right as she was beginning another attack. Gyro Ball hit me in the back. Baz’s Octazooka hit me in the face. My vision had gone black, but above me I heard Art’s Zap Cannon shoot Tess out of the air.

“Dame Teresa and the challenger Booster are unable to battle,” Avalon declared. “Dame Basima and Solider Arrington are victorious.”

Tess picked herself back up.

“Ughhh, there’s dust all over me.”

“I’m sorry,” I said, brushing myself off, “that was my fault, I didn’t-”

“I don’t think this is going to work out.”

“Huh?”

“I’m sorry but… we don’t really _know_ you. I’m not sure if we can battle effectively with a _Pokémon_ we don’t _know_ and _trust_.” She was looking right at Avalon. The Quilava’s expression didn't change.

The penny dropped. My shoulders sagged. “Who told you?”

“Commander Wynn overheard you speaking with Commander Byrne,” said Tess. “She only told us and the other Commanders.”

“Overheard us? So she _spied_ on us?”

Baz shrugged. I think she shrugged. Hard to tell, you know, with the tentacles.

“Why you?” I asked.

Niamh’s face dropped. “You don’t remember us?”

“He has amnesia, Niamh,” Nate said gently, “he can’t help it.”

“Yeah we were quite close to you, actually,” said Agatha. “So was our tenth member. Her name was Jessie. A Growlithe. Ring any bells?”

The others went quiet. Uncomfortably quiet.

“What happened to her?” I asked.

“She’s not a soldier anymore,” said Avalon, “and we have you to thank for that.”

“So she’s not dead?”

“No thanks to you,” said Baz.

The air went cold. The Victory Hunters shuffled uncomfortably or stood staring at me, impassive. Niamh, Nate, Scar, and even Bonnie looked at least a little sympathetic. But the rest of them were cold.

“I think we’re wasting each other’s time,” I said.

“Maybe we are,” said the Quilava.

“Commander Byrne ordered us to-” Bonnie began.

“He ordered you to?!” I said. “What, he _ordered_ you to be my friend?!”

“We were your friends,” said Art. “You chose us all. We were “your” Pokémon.”

“The “Victory Hunters” were assembled to act as your personal guard,” said Bonnie.

“They tried to lump you in with trained soldiers, but you picked us out yourself,” said Scar.

“We’ve all known you since we were kids,” said Niamh, “even if you don’t know us…”

“But none of you don’t know him _now_!”

Attention moved to Tobias.

“You’ve never met _this_ Alex before! He’s a good Pokémon! He’s loyal! He’s _kind_! The whole reason he’s here in the first place is because he wants to make up for what he’s done!”

“Thank you for your input, other Pokémon we don’t know,” said Avalon, “but I’m in charge here now, and _I_ decide who we fight with.”

“Alex is fighting on the Skarsgard side,” Scar said, “whether we like it or not, we _are_ with him.”

“That doesn’t mean we have to be around him.”

“Why did you even give him this chance if you were just going to turn him down anyway?”

“I was ordered to meet with him, I wasn’t ordered to accept him.”

“Av, I know you didn’t want him on our team, but-”

“What I want doesn’t matter,” Avalon cut across her.

Nate snorted. “That’s a first.”

Avalon smacked him round the back of the head. “What matters is if Alex is a good match. And he _isn’t_.”

“Because he lost a training battle?” said Niamh. She immediately cringed as if she’s instantly regretted speaking.”

“I think it told us everything we need to know. He isn’t compatible.”

“The only reason he lost is because he was defending his teammate,” Nate said.

“Which cost them both the battle,” Avalon replied, testily.

“That’s not what this is about, though, is it?” I said. “You don’t trust me because of what happened at the Pillar Oak. But you haven’t heard about everything that happened after! I’m a different person now! I’m not going back to the Varias, and I’ve come too far and risked too much to find you for you to all turn your backs on me at the very end!”

Avalon rolled her eyes. “Some things never change, do they?” she said, looking to Bonnie for support. To her surprise, she didn’t find it.

“What do you want me to do?” I asked. “If you could make me do anything in the world, what would you tell me to do? Because I feel like I’m doing everything I can, and the more I try the more it blows up in my face.”

Someone cleared their throat. A Flareon with a sack around her shoulders approached me with a letter in her mouth.

“Booshtr sh Chrmndr?”

“… I guess.”

She dropped the letter in my hand.

“What is that?” said Avalon, storming down the hill.

“You know I can’t-” the Flareon began.

“I wasn’t speaking to you, Maroon.”

I peeled the envelope open.

Sir Alex Albion

You are invited to the temporary residence of Queen Octavia Skarsgard for a private congress at the Happiny’s Hour today. All weapons must be left with the guardsmon at the door. No unauthorised persons are permitted. Do not be late.

Queen Octavia Skarsgard

“Oh. Fuck.”

The Royal Pavilion was the largest in the camp. It was blue-and-orange-and-pale-yellow, contained six rooms, and had six fully-evolved fully-armed-and-armoured guardsmon standing outside. I handed my letter to the Salazzle guard. She handed it to the Togekiss, who’s eyes glowed as he looked me up and down. She nodded, and they let me through.

I was led through a kind of living room, with a futon, cabinet, and a dining table, past two more guard Pokémon, a Mamoswine and a Steelix. Again through what looked like a command centre, with a large table holding up a wooden scale map of the crownlands.

Again into another room, a kind of hall room, with three ornate chests, a table, black torches shaped like Charizard heads, and a throne, painted blue-and-orange. A make-shift. Much simpler than the real thing would be.

Queen Octavia sipped at a chalice of wine. She was the tallest I’d met so far, back straight, muzzle long, wide wings tucked in tight. She was also the bulkiest, besides one-eye. She a sleeved blue tunic with the orange flames of the Skarsgards; the same symbol was stitched onto the backs of two blue hemp gloves with orange palms, and blue hemp stocks that showed her claws. There was small scar below her right eye. A blue cape with an orange underside and an upturned collar hung from the walls, next to a blue chest plate decorated with orange flames, a tail guard and wing guards with the same pattern. Sensing a theme?

Two other Charizard stood behind her. On high table beside them was helmet that protected her above the chin, blue, orange around the eyes and rim. It was similar to the ones that guards wore, only on this one a metal crown had been shaped around the horns; six long spikes, studded with obsidian, fire opal, and topaz.

An obsidian-studded greatsword rested against the throne. Orange-and-pale-yellow, painted with the Legendary Pokémon Moltres.

The Queen set her chalice down on the table. I swallowed.

“Um, hi? I-”

“You do not speak to the Queen unless you are spoken to,” said one of the Charizard.

The Queen held up her hand to silence him. Then she dismissed them both.

“Are you sure, your grace?” said the other one.

“Don’t talk back to me. Go.”

They left without another word.

We were left alone together.

Octavia smiled, a warm, welcome smile.

“I thought I’d never see you again,” she said, tenderly. “How are you feeling?”

“A little on-the-spot, if I’m honest.”

“You don’t have to worry,” the Queen, holding up her hands in a gesture of peace, “you’re not in any trouble. This time.” A small smile. “I hope I’m not keeping you from anything.”

“No, your grace," I said, “I was just getting to know some of the other Pokémon in the army.”

““On the force” is what we would say.”

I fidgeted. She sensed my discomfort and gave a disarming smile.

“Here,” she said, pouring me a goblet, “it’s Petaya-and-Nomel wine. It always was your favourite.”

“Oh. Am I old enough to drink?"

“Never stopped you before,” she said with a chuckle.

I took a sip. Apparently, it went straight to my head.

She poured one for herself.

“I can’t tell you how happy I am to have you back, Alex. How happy we _all_ are. Some of us were afraid you were dead, but I never believed them. I sent Pokémon to search high and low for you, all across Itori. I could hardly sleep for worry about you!”

“Is that right?” I said.

“Of course. You’re my _friend_ , Alex.” Another warm smile.

I took another sip.

“Why did you send a party of Pokémon to kidnap me?”

The Queen froze, goblet hanging in midair.

Gotcha.

“I’m sorry, but what in Moltres’ name are you talking about?”

I told her what in Moltres’ name I was talking about.

“Alex, I genuinely have no idea-”

“Are you going to lie to me too?”

Her face hardened. “Don’t take that tone with me.” 

“Or what?” My voice had changed, gotten tighter. It wasn’t the voice of a confident Pokémon. “What are you going to do about it?”

She set the goblet down, leaned closer. “I didn’t send anyone to attack you, Alex. Up until last night, I honest to Moltres believed you were dead.”

I shook my head. “I’m not buying it. I was your natural enemy up until now.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Up until now?”

I crossed my arms and waited. She leaned back in her chair.

“I’m willing to give you a chance, here, Alex. I don’t know what kind of _Pokémon_ you’ll be, but Moltres knows you were one hell of a solider as a human. They _should_. Do you remember what you used to say? Some day you would tame the Legendary Moltres and become the ruler of a _God_. Fuck me, you really were full of yourself. Still, it would have been a _much_ shorter war if you had actually done it! I need that kind of zealous arrogance on my side. Because as the God of Fire is my witness there's plenty of it on the other.”

She took a sip of wine. “But you realise that if I have any cause at all to believe that you’re a threat to my Pokémon, I won’t tolerate it for a single moment.”

“I’m sure you can understand why I don’t want _my_ friends around a bunch of bandits, then.”

“A bunch of-” She stopped herself. She took another sip. “I assure you, this camp is far safer than most of them will be used to. Safer than Grande City, too.”

““Safer” doesn’t necessarily mean “safe”, though, does it?”

She tapped the side of her goblet and thought for a moment. “Do you happen to remember Zweil Varia, the middle brother?”

“I don’t remember anything before I was found by my friend.”

“Your friend Tobias.”

An ugly pause.

“What did you just say?”

“What did you just say _your highness_. Your friend, his name is Tobias, isn’t it? Don’t look so surprised. A lot of Pokémon from the south have come here to fight for their sovereign, and Tobias certainly had a reputation, didn’t he? I’m sorry. Maybe I shouldn’t have brought it up.” She didn’t sound sorry.

“Who told you his name?”

“Does it matter? I assume he isn’t any kind of _threat_ to us.” She tilted her head. “Is he?”

The Booster Badge glowed. “You leave him alone.”

She glanced at the bag. “Oh, don’t be so brazen, it really doesn’t suit you at two feet tall. Honey, do you think the Varias are going to leave him alone? Do you think they’re going to let _any_ of your friends wander around free as wild Pokémon?”

“I’m not going to let anything-”

“Do you know why they chose _you_ to attack Ruby Forest?” she continued. “You may be able to figure it out without your memories. Hm? Nothing? “No Pokémon can harm the Pillar Oak.” Ever heard that saying?”

I thought for a moment. “But I wasn’t a Pokémon.”

“Bingo! That’s exactly right. You were their ace in the hole. If they destroy the heart of Ruby Forest, the whole place turns to rot. One-day mission. Threat thoroughly eliminated. In a sense that was the war won, no matter who ended up on the throne. But then, you disappeared. So they needed a new plan. Are you following?”

“I guess,” I said warily.

“Their new plan is to awaken the Gyarados of Gold.”

“The what?”

“Moltres, you really are out of it. All right. In the wild lands north of the city, there’s a tower erected to protect a golden statue, a Gyarados. A _Giant_ Gyarados. Rumour- legend, I should say- is that the Gyarados is a living thing. That it can be awakened. _And_ that it will serve anyone who awakens it. It’s said to have a power equal to that of a god. And that’s exactly the kind of power they’re going to need.”

I frowned. “Gyarados is a water-type.”

“And flying, don’t forget. But it may in fact be their best hope. The Gyarados is said to be _thousands_ of years old. The World as we know it, one-hundred-and-fifty. It’s a monster from the old days, from a time no one alive is old enough to remember. The power they most hold is… Moltres, even I couldn’t begin to imagine it. If they wake the creature up not many of us will make it out of that battle alive. As you said, Gyarados is a _water-type_.

“So your mission is simple. Stop them.”

“ _My_ mission?!”

“Okay, I’m being generous,” she said with a laugh. “You know, you’ll _be_ there. It’s mostly Commander Byrne’s mission. You know the Charizard with the hat? Your cousin?”

“We’ve… yes, I know him.”

“You’ll be leaving tomorrow, towards Stormfell Tombs. The Varias shouldn't be able to reach you, but we've had reports of wild ground-types causing trouble for civilised Pokémon north of the village. Once you’ve reached your destination you’ll locate the Sapphire Fang and bring it to the tower yourself. It's meant to be the piece containing the creature’s soul.” She shook her head. “What was it with those Pokémon and _souls_?”

“So… you want _us_ to wake it up?”

She rolled her eyes. Stupid question, Alex.

“What if it turns on us instead?!”

“We’ll have the creature’s soul on a chain, it will _not_ turn on us. It'll obey us or…” she shifted in her seat, “we'll set it free. In the ocean. _Away_ from harm. Asa will see to it, I’m sure.”

She didn’t sound too sure.

“But why me?” I asked.

“Same philosophy as Dreigo's; you’re a human. Sort of. Maybe you can do things a regular Charmander can’t.” She took another sip. “Were you at the concert when all those Pokémon went berserk?”

“Yes, unfortunately.”

“Do you know _why_ they went berserk?”

“What does that have to do with-”

“Because no one here does. Hell, even _Asa’s_ banging his head against it, and if _he_ can’t figure it out none of us commoners have a chance. We know it was some kind of magical power that infects Pokémon. And only Ruby Forest, for some reason…” she drummed her claws against her armrest distractedly. “We know it was an attempt on Special Agent Sapphire’s life. Thankfully it failed.”

“But Heidi was killed instead.”

She frowned. “You saw that.”

“I was there! She was “your Pokémon”, wasn’t she? Don’t you care about that? That she _died_ serving you?!”

Embers flew from her mouth and a short growl escaped. Then she took a deep breath, set her goblet down on the table, and leaned in close.

“If you are mistaking my composure for indifference, then I really do believe you don’t remember me. Oh I do care, Alex Albion. A Pokémon was killed, in my camp, outside of battle, in an _intentional attempt on someone’s life_. In a time of peace, that’s murder. In a time of conflict, it’s a war crime. Trust me, I care so much that if the Pokémon responsible were here I’d rip both his heads off with my bare hands. I’d call it self-defence, too. It’s not a crime if you’re protecting yourself.”

“… Uh-huh.”

She leaned back, picked up her goblet. “Thankfully, I don’t need to. As long as I can trust my soldiers to set matters to right, nobody needs to die.” She emptied it. “I can trust you, right, Alex?”

I clenched my fists. “Yes,” I said without looking at her.

“Yes, _your highness_ ,” said the Queen.

Feather was waiting for me outside the pavilion.

“How’d it go?”

He read my expression and gave me a sympathetic smile.

“She can have that effect on you all right. Pick yourself up now; there’s a few more people I’d like you to meet, if you’re ready for it.”

“May as well get it over with.”

“That’s the spirit.”

He led me back to his tent. The torches were lit to ward off the evening. It pulled shadows across our faces; until now, I hadn’t really noticed the dark circles under Feather’s eyes.

He stopped me just outside the tent. “This is my team,” he told me, “we’re known as the Enderpyres. You’ve… You’ve met them before. Can you tell where I’m going with this?”

“Yeah, I get it. I’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure? Because we don’t have to do this until-”

“Until? I’m supposed to be leaving _tomorrow_ , I don’t have any more time to get used to things. Let’s just get this over with.”

Feather sighed. He opened up the tent and waved me in side. He followed behind me.

Atlas, the Charizard with the torn wings. Amber, the three-legged Ninetales. Markus, the one-armed Emboar. Coast, the scar-faced Barbaracle. And Braze, the one-eyed Charizard.

I didn’t speak.

“I think he’s shy,” the Ninetales whispered.

“Are you all right, Alex?” said the one-eyed Charizard. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

I looked up at Feather. “Why did you bring me here?”

“We’re the special mission task force of the Skarsgards,” said Coast, “which means we’ll be the ones escorting you on your mission.”

“Are you serious?!”

“Alex, it’s all right.” Feather got down on one knee. “Nobody here is holding a grudge against you.”

“I am,” said one-eye.

“That’s really not helpful, Braze.”

“Come on now!” Markus said in his booming voice. His accent was thick, from somewhere way down south. “Stop antagonising the boy, he’s on _our side now_.”

“ _Thank you_ , Markus.”

“Do we know that for sure?” said Atlas. My eyes moved to the wood-and-canvas with hanging loose from his shoulder blades, just behind his ruined wings.

“Oh, for the love of Moltres,” Feather said.

“It’s fine,” I said. “They can feel however they want about me. I’m more than used to that by now. They shouldn’t have to work with me if they don’t trust me.”

“ _I_ trust you, Alex.”

I gave a weak smile.

“Hear that?” said the Barbaracle. “He trusts you. Best not let him down then, eh?”

The next day, the Victory Hunters took me to the blacksmiths’ tent. Maroon the messenger sent word to the hospital, asking Khan, Fortis, and Harriet to meet us there. The Victory Hunters and Tobias and I walked together, forcing conversation to pass the time.

“So you’re like Alex’s bodyguard, right?” said Baz.

“We're _partners_ ,” I corrected. “ _Equals_.”

Avalon smiled sardonically. “There’s a first.”

“Alex treats me better than any Pokémon I know,” my partner said defiantly. “We _are_ equals, you can laugh as much as you want.”

“You two must be very close to come this far for him…” Niamh said, just about audible.

“And to join up with us, too,” said Nate. “This must be pretty out of your comfort zone.”

“He’s risked his life for me,” Tobias said, “more than once. I'm happy to be here for him. Even if I am a bit of a spare part,” he said with an awkward laugh.

“I’m sure we’ll find some use for you here, _Tobias_ ,” Avalon said pointedly.

That was the end of Team Hope.

The journey was made even more uncomfortable by the fact that we were huddled so close together for warmth. I rubbed my arms and shivered. The cold air was tugging the heat from my tail and making it flicker. The clouds overhead were dark, and threatening to pour. It was the first day of winter.

I gave a grateful sigh when the warmth hit me and we managed to split apart from each other. The main room of the armoury was decorated with racks upon racks of suits, shields, swords, and other weapons lifted from Grande City before it had been taken by the Varias. Wooden chests sat below the displays. That's where the action-ready arms and armour were stored. They had to be locked up by the blacksmiths, in case of raids or civilian Pokémon going renegade.

Most soldiers in the army wore plated-metal or boiled-hemp armour, and a lot of them had patterns pressed in or painted on; the higher-ups even got their own unique splashed of colour, as long as they stuck to the Skarsgard theme so their allies could identify them in battle. But since I technically had no experience using it, I’d have to settle for simple blue-and-orange steel.

A blue mask, blue breeches, blue chainmail, orange gloves and wrist braces, orange chest plate. A blue tunic with an orange flame on the front, the sigil of the Skarsgards. A blue-and-orange-patterned tail guard, that covered the base of the tail to an obsidian ring just below the tip. Supposed to improve circulation, Nate explained. Whether or not it actually works, I can't tell you. They also handed me boiled-hemp boots with the same design.

"We'll have Neo find you a sword as well," said Avalon.

"That's okay, I already have one.”

“What? How?”

Harriet was examining the selection of battleaxes. I accidentally met her eye, but she had the good sense to look away.

“They have swords in the south,” I said. “What, do you think all we do down there is pick Berries and laze around on the beach?”

“All right, all right.”

The tent was all-blue canvas, and the inside had an orange glow, and it was cosy and warm enough to make me a little drowsy. Perfect temperature. For a fire-type, that is.

“Can you dry up from heat alone?” Tobias said, wiping sweat from his eyes.

Harriet craned her head to the roof. “Aren’t you worried about it catching on fire?”

“It’s fire-proof canvas, Harriet,” said Fortis, “this is the _Skarsgard_ camp.”

Harriet blushed. “Right, yeah. Sorry.”

I was introduced the best of Grande City’s blacksmiths- of the ones that had stayed with the Skarsgards, anyway. Gallagher, the Monferno; Clancy, the Pignite; Manju, the Ruby-coloured Small Size Pumpkaboo; and Teodoro, the Beedrill. Behind them, a Growlithe was policing a black-and-gold battleaxe.

The flap leading to one of the bellows opened and a tall, yellow-and-red fox-like Pokémon stepped out.

“This is Neo,” said Clancy, “our boss. Boss-mon, this is Alex.”

“I’m aware,” said Neo. “Are you here to be re-fitted?”

I nodded.

“I like her,” I whispered to Tobias.

“We wanted to show him his old arms and armour,” said Tess, “if that’s all right with you.”

“So pretty much everyone in the camp knows about me now, I’m guessing.”

“Those that care,” said Avalon.

Neo waved her arm, and Clancy and Gallagher brought out a crate marked by a finger-fingered handprint of red paint. I looked down at my own. It was three times smaller.

Inside was a dagger, with a black handle and red crossguard, with a small fire opal gem studded into the pommel. The cool grey blade was around twelve inches long. Half my current height. Holding the dagger tip-down, it would just about reach up to my eyes.

Below it was black chainmail, black-and-red armour patterned with Skarsgard-like flames, and an yellow-lined black shield with the same red hand print.

“That’s your personal seal,” Niamh explained, “the _Command_ , you called it.”

It almost makes me laugh. The _Command._ Who had I thought I was?

I put the shield back in. Below was black-and-red armour far too big for me. I could almost fit my head through one of the wrist braces. It took quite a while to get myself out.

“You can’t wear those outside of the armoury, you know,” said Avalon.

“I don’t think you need to worry about that, to be honest,” I said.

“Not even the shield?” said Niamh. “It might be able to fit him.”

“Out of the question,” said her leader. “People will think he’s part of the black-and-red.”

“People will think that if I wear black-and-red?” I said.

“Yes.”

“Shocking.”

“Who are the black-and-red?” asked Tobias.

Most of the Victory Hunters looked away, bashful. Art gave Avalon a cautious look.

“Your old crew,” the Quilava explained. “The ones you took to Ruby Forest. Kanani, a Kommo-o; Bieito, a Beartic; Honcho, a Honchkrow; Crackfire, an Exploud; and Prometheus.”

“The Incineroar,” I finished, stupidly.

“ _Oh_ ,” Avalon said with a sardonic smile, “so you remember _them_ , but not us?”

“No!” I said. “I don’t _remember_ them either! I found out about them the same why I found out about myself, in a Time Flower!”

“Okay. I don't know what that is.”

“It’s this crystal flower that grows in Ruby Forest, it shows you events from the past. That’s how I found out about myself, I saw myself… with the black-and-red Pokémon.” Except that we were all in the Varia colours. Black-and-blue. “They just happened to be there with me. It’s not that I-”

“ _Okay_ , Alex.Just get some godsdamned armour on so we can get this over this.”

I looked to the other Victory Hunters for help. Despite some looks of sympathy, I found none. I relented, and let Teo drag me away for fitting.

They had plenty of armour to fit a Charmander, and some for a Blaziken, but they had to dig around for anything that would fit the others. Tobias got a helmet probably meant for a bigger Pokémon, and chainmail to cover his shell. They had a set in exactly Fortis’ size, but he had forcefully declined.

Khan and Harriet received a set each to cover their heads and torsos; the Professor had the idea to disguise it under his cape. His black cape with the blue underside.

“No, you're not wearing that,” said Neo. “Take it off, we’ll see if we have one with the right colours, although you might need to stop by the Ursa Boutique for non-essentials.”

“I can't even bring my own _cape_?” Khan said.

“Not unless you want to be a Durant in a candle of Heatmor,” said the Delphox. “A Skarsgard soldier in the heat of battle doesn’t have time to interrogate everyone they see wearing nothing but blue-and-black.”

Khan clicked his tongue, and folded up the cape. I offered to keep it in my bag for him.

“You sure you want to do that?” said Avalon. “Walk alongside the Skarsgard army with a _Varia_ cape in your bag?”

“It was made in Butterscotch Prairie,” said Khan, “there’s nothing _“Varia”_ about it.”

“We should keep it,” said Art. “It could be useful as a disguise.”

“That’s a good idea!” said Tess.”Besides, they’ll all be wearing the Skarsgard flames anyhow.”

“We will?” said Harriet.

Tess nodded to a crate of orange Skarsgard scarves. They looked a little bit like the ones we wore at the Academy, the ones hiding inside my bag alongside the cape. Manju took four and laid them out on the table. One for each of us. That was the rule.

Teo held my chainmail out to me; steel, painted blue.

“Don’t you need my measurements?” I asked.

“Oh don’t worry,” said the Beedrill, “those were taken while you were asleep in the hospital.”

“Oh that’s… that’s not worrying at all. Very efficient, in fact.”

“By the way,” Neo said, reaching into another box, “do you know what this is?”

It was a Badge. Like the Booster Badge, but a tear-drop shape; blue, with a glossy rainbow outline.

“This is a Lapis Badge,” she explained. “It used to belong to you, did you know that?”

I hadn’t.

“When you were a human, we discovered that with this Badge you could transfer Zenith power to one of your allies. Normally a Pokémon has to be holding a Z-Badge in order to use its powers, but with this, practically anyone could summon it. What we were wondering is why you left it behind.”

“How exactly is he supposed to answer that?” Harriet said. “He has _amnesia_.”

“You took one of the Booster Badges from the crown’s vault, but you didn’t take this one? Why?”

“How did you know that?” I said. “Did you search our belongings?!”

“The last time you were here you stole a valuable item right before the battle that cost us Grande City,” she placed the Lapis Badge back on the box, locked it tight. “You’re lucky they let you keep the damn thing. You ought to repay their good faith in kind.”

Before I had the chance to open my big mouth and say something stupid, Teo called me over. My armour was ready. I took off the Chariz-Fang and the items bag to have the steel lifted over my head, then quickly put it back on. Since the Skarsgards were so _friendly_ about personal possession.

They also provided me with a Skarsgard shield. Blue, lined with pale-yellow, with an orange flame burning at the centre. It was strapped to my left arm, as I usually swung my sword with my right.

The Beedrill tested the straps, pulling them tight and rattling them with his stinger.

“How’s that?”

“Super duper,” I said.

He laughed. “Never thought I’d hear you say something like that.” He tightened the other strap. “Do you… remember me, at all?”

I sighed. “I have amnesia. I don’t remember anything.”

“What about Jessie?” he said. “Do you remember her?”

My eyes widened, then moved to the Growlithe dusting one of the swords on display with a Pidove feather-duster.

“Yeah,” I said, suddenly fascinated by the hemp gloves they’d given me, “she’s one of the Victory Hunters.”

“I was,” came a voice behind me.

“She’s the Keeper of the Sword now,” said Teo, tugging on the chainmail here and there.

“That sounds cool!” I said.

“It means I clean,” she said. “I clean the swords. Sometimes they let me polish them to. Riveting.”

His work complete, Teo left to try and wrangle Fortis into some armour. I stood fiddling with my clothes for a few moments, then finally took a deep breath and turned around.

I approached Jessie. She moved on to the next sword, didn’t acknowledge my presence.

“Hey,” I said. “… You okay?”

“Fine.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“You just did.”

“Why did you leave the Victory Hunters?”

“I left the _army_ , not the Victory Hunters. They’re still my best friends, besides Teo.”

She moved again, towards the warhammers.

“Was it because of…”

“Why do you care?!” she snapped. “Why do you suddenly care how _I_ feel?!”

I decided to let her talk.

“You want to know what you did? You left me behind. You told me what you were going to do and you wanted me to come with you! You see, dumbass that I was, I didn’t tell anyone. Instead I went _with_ you to try and _talk you out of it_. But of course you weren’t going to change your mind just because some lowly Growlithe _begged_ you to. And then, haha, and then they kicked me out! I didn’t _quit_! I’ve never quit anything in my life! Which is why your Incineroar ended up having to _beat me into a coma_!” She exhaled. Teo came over but she shook her head, and he left her be. She picked up the duster in her mouth.

“A coma…” I said quietly.

“I was out for a day or so. There’s no permanent damage. So you don’t have to feel _too_ sorry for yourself.”

“No, I’m not here because-”

“I have work to do, Alex.”

I turned and hurried in the other direction. The others called out for me, and I tried to ignore them.

“Where do you think you’re going?” said Avalon.

“I never know!” I snapped back.

Art hovered between me and the exit.

“You’re not storming out of here just because the sword-cleaner was mean to you,” Avalon said. “You have a job to do now, _remember_?”

So I let myself be fitted with the rest of the armour. Clancy fumbled with the straps. Niamh held them in place for him while he worked.

“It’s funny that I have to look up at you now,” she said.

“Funny good or funny bad?”

“I dunno. Just funny.”

Nate held his hand over my head.

“Mm, I reckon I’m at least an inch taller.”

“You’re on your toes, Nate,” said Baz.

Nate dropped back down. “I miss when you were a toddler. You were a lot funnier back then.”

“At least you’ve got a better complexion than I do.”

For some reason, Niamh cringed. Nate just laughed.

“I woke up like this, honey.”

“Vanity is hardly becoming of a knight,” Bonnie said, holding up his chin as Neo fiddled with the links of his helmet.

“Done!” she said. She tapped his rump. “Stand.”

Bonnie stood, raised his head, moved whichever way the Delphox wanted.

“A model fit, as always.”

The Houndour beamed.

Agatha tossed something in her hand. It was a handle with two chains at the end where her scallops fit in. She swung it over her head, turned in a circle. A blue line sliced through the air.

“What is that?” I asked.

“I call it _Exscalloper_ ,” she said with a proud smile. “I made it myself.”

“That’s amazing!” I said. “Can I see it?”

She blushed. “Aha, it’s still a work in progress. I’ve made a few improvements since the last time you saw it.”

“You realise that makes absolutely no difference, right?” said Baz.

Neo set to work on Avalon. She handed her gloves for her forepaws, boots for her backpaws.

“How do you stand on two feet like that?” I asked.

“Training,” she said. “I’ve been honing my back muscles since I was a Cyndaquil; I have _perfect_ two-paw posture.”

“You need someone to look at those joints,” said Neo, poking at her shoulders.

Avalon’s checks turned red.

Clancy was rummaging through the spare weapons; Charmander size, their second smallest.

“You’re a sword guy, right?” he said. “We got tons of them here.”

“Oh, it’s okay, I’m happy with mine,” I said.

“You sure? You loved the last one we made for you. “Neon”, you named it.”

Neo picked Hunter off the table and turned it in her hand.

“There’s a Varia sigil on the pommel,” she said.

“I just found it,” I said quickly, “at the market in Emerald Town. I didn’t know what it meant. No memory, you see.”

“It would be poetic through, wouldn’t it?” said Scar. “To kick their asses with one of their own swords!”

“I’m not a fan of poetry,” said Avalon. “Alex, you need to replace it.”

“I don’t care what colour of sword he uses,” said Neo, “and frankly we don’t need more on our anvils right now.”

“We could at least give him a new scabbard,” said Art.

I looked at mine. “Really?”

Avalon held it up to my face. “Black-and-blue? The _Varia_ colours, Alex. You don’t have to be _that_ oblivious.”

She tossed it to the floor. Manju grumbled as she tidied it away.

“That garbage is worth no more than scrap metal now.”

“Because they’re the wrong colours?”

“Yes because they’re the wrong colours!”

“Av, Av, cool it,” Niamh placed a hand on her back. Avalon threw her paws up in frustration. I saw the sharp metal talons attached to the back and trailing up her arms.

Avalon wore mechanised Nyarth-te, claws hidden in her gauntlets that she could summon by clenching her paws. Tess’ armour was covered in sharp spikes. Baz’s tentacles were enhanced with suction cups, Niamh wore power bands that increased all six of her stats, Bonnie wore a crash helmet moulded in the shape of a Skarsgard flame. A sharpened blade was fitted to Scar’s horn. Art wore dark-blue plating around their body.

Nate wielded a shield and a sword the length of his body.

“Mine’s longer,” he said with a grin, hoisting it over his shoulder.

“Yeah, but mine’s _wider_ ,” I said, lifting it up for him to see.

“You’re holding it wrong,” said Avalon.

“You’re holding it like a human,” Nate explained, adjusting my grip, “they have five fingers in each hand, we have four. There, like that. Now loosen up a bit; you can’t fight for hours on end with your whole body clenched like that.”

“Try me,” I said.

“Don’t worry about it, Al,” said Niamh, “we’ve been using ours since we were born. You just need practice, that’s all!”

“I suppose my “birth” wasn’t that long ago.” I held up the sword, turned it in my hand. “But maybe I can learn.”

The tent curtains burst open. A spritely young Deerling burst through. She had a wood-brown back, and a pastel-pink underside.

“Susie!” Japeth called, storming in as Art wrangled her away from the sharp and occasionally on-fire objects. His antlers were white, red where they had been split down the middle. A brilliant white plume grew from his chest. “I told you to stay with Ewan!”

“I did!” Susie protested.

Ewan came running after her, panting heavily. He got tangled in the flaps on his way in. Gallagher lifted them and shook him out.

“I’m so sorry, lads,” said the Furret, “she just… she got…” he gasped for air, “she’s fast… that one…”

“See!” Susie said. “He was with me the whole time!”

Lucas fluttered in after him.

“Oh, come here, Susie, you’ve got juice all over your cheek.” His wing morphed into a three-fingered hand and he wiped her clean. The Victory Hunters stared at him.

“They have so much food here!” said the Deerling

“We’re on rations,” said Manju, “we hardly have _any_ food.”

Japeth snorted. “Yeah, you’re are living the rough life out here.”

Clancy held up a ruler and started to measure Ewan.

“Ah, no, no thanks.”

“Oh, sorry. Force of habit.”

Manju held up a chest plate to Susie. Lucas extended an arm and snatched it out of her grasp.

“Thank Zacian,” said Gallagher, “we have enough work to do before the battle as it is!”

With a tug on the strap around his shoulders, he patted Japeth on the side and let him go.

“All right, we’re taking you home, lassie,” the Sawsbuck said, trying to nudge her away as she gazed at the exhibit of tempered steel.

The same awe was reflected on Ewan’s face, except he didn’t have much interest in the weapons anymore. Now he was interested in the shields. His paw hovered over the largest one in the tent, decorated with a bright yellow sun against a purple background, lined with white. Jessie bounded over, ready to educate. They quickly became locked in conversation. Jessie laughed at something he said. Ewan’s tail flicked with excitement as she walked him through the display. A lot of them were generic Skarsgard shields, worn by decorated soldiers and hung in their memory. Jessie had the origin story of every single piece memorised. Ewan hung on to her every word.

“Bucky said they were going to meet us here!” Susie said. “He said he was going to teach me his secret attack!”

“They?” said Gallagher. “Who’s they?”

Roy, Striker, Bucky, Eliza, and Alana, strode through the tent flaps. The Staraptor and the Luxray shared a look of amazement. Gallagher drew his hands over his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Thank you all so much for sticking with the story this long! It's been a hell of a journey, for me and the characters! I've realised recently that I'm not engaging with my audience as much as I should be. I'd love to get to know you guys better! Sincerely, thank you so, so, SO much for reading this far, I can't tell you how much it means to me that people are actually enjoying this story and care about these characters like I do. It brings me a world of happiness.


	18. Skeletons

_"I never give up, no matter what. You must be the same?” - Lance, Pokémon Black 2 & White 2 _

“Do you remember how to use your sword?” Asa asked me.

I looked down at Hunter, hanging from my waist in a blue-and-orange sheath. “Stick ‘em with the pointy end?” I said.

“Ah, if you have to. But please keep in mind we’re tying to knock them out, not-”

“Kill them? Yeah, I got that, _thanks_.”

Asa sighed wearily. I hung back to walk next to Tobias.

We’d left that evening. The Enderpyres had formed a protective circle around us. Feather, Braze, and Asa were near the front. Tobias, Khan, Fortis, Harriet, and I were right behind them. Avalon quietly seethed at being stuck in the middle.

As we left Mahogany Village, orange lights lit the sky behind us, and music began to play.

“They're still playing?” said Tobias.

“Of course they are,” said Agatha, “they have to keep up morale. Letting an incident like that take away from one of the only comforts we have right know would be letting people’s spirits drain away through the gutters. It would essentially be handing a huge victory over to the Varias.”

“But somebody _died_ the last time they played!” I said.

“They’re dedicating the performance to her memory,” said Fortis. Tobias and I shared a look, but neither of us dared to ask how he knew that.

“I knew Heidi,” Art said; they were hovering right above us and I jumped at the sound of their voice. “She would have said the same. This is exactly what she would have wanted. For people to carry on.”

“One more slap in the face to those Varia bastards!” said the Dewott.

The crowd cheered. Two voices resonated across the camp:

_Free up your mind_

_Oooooh, all right_

_Let the music free up your mind_

_Free up your mind_

_Free up your mind_

“They’re playing the same song!” I exclaimed.

Agatha smiled. “Exactly.”

The village disappeared behind us and the open fields stretched out ahead. Feather warned us that there would be nowhere to restock for another ten miles. The Victory Hunters each had a small items bag, and Niamh dipped in to share a Persim Berry with Tobias and I. We accepted her offer gratefully.

“Harriet, where's your bag?” Fortis said then, mildly annoyed.

Harriet blushed. “I… I lost it,” she said. “I think I might have dropped it at the concert. It's fine, there was barely anything left it in anyway.”

Tobias frowned. “You didn’t bring it to the concert.”

“Just drop it. Please.”

Tobias and I shared a look. Fortis shook his head but said nothing.

North of the Village were wide open hills where wild Pokémon grazed, protected and sheltered by those in the city. In exchange, these Pokémon would offer wool and any leftover milk.

“That’s kinda gross,” I said.

“Where do you think they got the milk to make your pie this morning?” said Khan.

“You ate pie for breakfast?” said Bonnie.

“Correction, he ate _a_ pie for breakfast.”

“Now _that’s_ the Alex I remember,” said Tess.

“I’m glad you thought so highly of me,” I said.

“Cheer up, kid,” Harriet leaned in close to whisper. “At least they trust you enough to let you go on this mission unguarded.”

“Oh, we’re guarded,” Fortis said, low so only we could hear. His eyes were fixed on Asa’s back. “We’re being _heavily_ guarded. We may as well be tied together with chains.”

My eyes moved to the Skarsgard soldiers. They hemmed us in, protecting us from all sides, barricading us, preventing any chance of slipping away undetected.

We stopped at a cabin resting atop one of the hills. Somehow, none of us had even seen it until it was five feet ahead of us, the air was distorted by a murky-blue glow, and the cabin appeared as our eyes corrected themselves.

“She got here ahead of us,” Coast said, impressed.

“Of course she did,” said Braze, “she has more stake in this mission than any more us.”

From the top of the hill, we could see the tall blue tower that was our final destination. The prison. Tobias stood staring at it for a long moment.

“Are you all right?” Khan asked.

“Nothing,” he said quickly, “it’s nothing.”

Amber pawed excitedly at the door. An Arcanine answered. Amber yipped and jumped at her. The two fire-types wrapped their forepaws around each other.

“I’ve missed you so much!” said the Ninetales.

“I’ve missed you so much more!”

“Not possible!”

“ _Yes_ possible!” the Arcanine laughed.

“I hate happy couples,” said Harriet.

“Here here,” said Fortis.

We sat down in front of a roaring fire. The other fire-types jostled for a warm place, and I sat down at the edge. Coast brought out plain wooden goblets from the chest and filled them from a bottle of Sitrus wine tucked in next to them. I took a small sip and winced. The other Victory Hunters watched, bemused, as I tried wipe all trace of the taste from my mouth.

Asa introduced us to our guide through the Seatombs; Dame Sapphire Conmara.

“Sapphire?” said Harriet, “As in the Sapphire Fang?”

“I was raised to be the Guardian of the Seal,” the Arcanine said.

She brushed her fur aside to reveal a medallion bearing the emblem of the Lugia religion, the Sea Guardians; the outline of was a white face at the end of a long white neck, with navy-blue wingtips around where the eyes would be, surrounded by a white swirling pattern, set against a grey-blue background.

“I’m the whole reason we’re here. The Varias took me in when I left home to become a soldier. I was one of their best fighters, or so they said; by the time most of the others my age were being offered knighthoods, I was made a captain. I thought they really loved me. I thought I was so damned special. But they were using me. They knew where I had come form, they knew who my family were. They’d set the whole thing up from the start.

“It was just one _stupid_ mistake when I told the boy what my position in the Sea Guardian faith was. And then he told his brothers. And six months later here we are. I’ve turned on the Varias, and now they’re using my secrets against me.” She lowered her head. “Now I have to make up for what I’ve done.”

Amber paw placed her paw on hers. “It is not your fault, love.”

“That’s not how my family sees it. They think I’m a _disgrace_. I’ve failed my mission. I’ve brought shame to my religion. I’ve tarnished my own damn _name_. They’re never going to forgive me for it.”

“I understand how that feels,” I said into my drink.

“I’ll bet you do,” said Avalon.

“Now now,” said Markus, “let’s keep things civil, eh? Any decent tactician will tell you not tearing your teammates apart before a bottle is rule number _one_. Sound good?”

He gave me a friendly pat on the back. I gave him a small smile.

“Why are you always defending him?” said Braze.

An uncomfortable pause.

I pushed myself up. “I think I’ll just head to bed.”

“Alex, please don’t-” Feather began.

“I stand up for him because it’s my _duty_ ,” said Markus, “the kid’s my _godson_ , for Moltres’ sake.”

I paused. “What?”

Markus set his goblet on the floor. “I was your father’s closest friend when we were growing up.” He waved his mechanical arm. “Cedric's a prosthetics engineer. He made this for me.”

“Maybe this is a topic for another day,” said Coast.

“No,” I said, sitting back down across from the Emboar, “I want to hear this. Did you know my mother too?”

“Enya,” Markus continued. “She's a soldier, a damn good one, too. Both of them defected to the Varias.”

“Most of our family did," said Feather, “only my brother is still on our side, your cousin Charlie. He’s with the main force, leading the Rear Guard.”

“Are they all Charizard?” I asked.

“Not all of us. Theres Charlie, and I, your aunt, and an uncle on your dad’s side. You’ve got a couple Charmeleon from your dad too, but there are plenty of other kinds of Pokémon in both families as well!”

“Thank Zapdos you’re here,” said Nate, “we may be the only two Charmander left!”

“I’m the only one left on this side, too,” said Coast. “My husband is a Varia Commander.” A small chuckle. “ _Ex_ -husband. It’s pretty rough knowing that at any point in the battle to come we might run into each other.”

“Wasn’t your husband a farmer?” said Scar.

“Oh he was. Then he got sucked in by one of Dreigo’s big speeches at the Temple of Revelation. It went straight to his head. He packed up and left the next day to go and join them. I asked him what he thought he was doing and he turned around and repeated the same thing that bastard told them all at the address: “We have a collective duty. We’re all soldiers now. One person can make all the difference.” Yeah, that’s right, you’re just as much as a soldier as your wife who’s been training for _thirty years_ because you watched some fanatic rant at your for forty-five godsdamned minutes and just _decided_ that the _decades of training_ I’d put in meant just as much as you _feeling_ like a soldier. Seriously, who does he think he is?!”

“I can’t help but feel a little betrayed…” said Niamh. She looked at me. “But I understand! They’re not bad Pokémon. They believe what they’re doing is right, even if we don’t.”

“Even if we don’t believe in murder,” said Baz.

“They don’t see it as murder,” said Avalon, “they see it as war. It's glorification, _that’s_ the problem here.”

“I don’t know,” said Tess, “I think they have a point. The Pokémon in Ruby Forest wouldn’t be targets if they weren’t threats. But the answer isn’t to turn on one another.”

“Or betray your sovereign,” said Bonnie, raising his chin.

“The problem is division,” Nate said, with the air of someone believe themselves the immediate expert, “and strong Pokémon each with strong conviction not seeing eye-to-eye.”

“I’m ready to see these dickweeds eye-to- _fist_ ,” said Baz, demonstrating with a balled-up tentacle.

“If you can call that a fist,” said Art.

“Art, your hands are _magnets_.”

“D’aww, it’s always such a joy seeing the playfulness and the enthusiasm of group of fresh soldiers before their first battle,” said Coast. “Just such a shame that they’re about to beat every little bit of it out each and every one of you.”

Bonnie raised his chin high. “I am not afraid of that. They can dangle me over a cliff by my tail, I will _never_ give in to _them_.”

“Count me in,” said Scar. “If it means protecting lives, you can use me as a damn _torpedo_.”

“War takes lives as well,” Agatha said without looking up. “There’ll be soldiers lost on both sides by the time the dust settles.”

“We just need to make sure more of them aren’t ours,” said Art.

“Taking someone’s life is a war crime,” Tobias said. The soldiers looked at him like he was a naïve child.

“It still happens,” said Sapphire. “A powerful attack, a building collapsed, a Pokémon trampled. Hell, even exhaustion can be the killer.”

“That’s why we have Asa here,” said Amber, “he’s our own personal Tear of Life.”

Asa blushed. “Aha, you don’t have to rely on me for that. You all have each other!”

“Oh yeah, you can just go home in that case.”

“You saved my life when we first met,” Fortis said.

He did?

“Is that why you came back to fight?” Agatha asked.

“No. I left with Alex and Tobias and Harriet to find my parents in Ruby Forest, to warn them about Dreigo.”

“Did you find them?”

“No.”

“Is that why you’re here?” Niamh asked Harriet. “Cause you came with Alex, you know…”

“Nah, I’m not cut out for that hero junk,” Harriet said. “My friends are the reason I’m fighting.”

Everyone in the room groaned.

“What? What’s wrong with that?!”

“It’s so boring!” said Agatha.

“It’s like something you’d read in a _manga_ ,” said Scar. Her eyes widened. “Not that I read manga!”

“You could at least give us a tragic backstory,” said Nate. “Make one up if you have to.”

“Ah, screw you,” Harriet said. “Ruby Forest was enough tragic backstory for me. And I don't care if it’s _boring_ , it’s the truth!””

“I’m only here because I’m Alex’s best friend,” Tobias pointed out.

“But you’ve got, like, a tragic backstory, right?” Nate waved his hand over his own face. “You’ve got that gloomy look about you.”

“I’m only here because I’m responsible for these two geniuses,” Khan interrupted.

“You must really care for your students to go so far for them,” said Asa.

Khan’s expression changed. He looked a little ashamed.

“He does,” said Tobias, to the Garchomp’s surprise. “He does.”

We had a couple of hours to rest. The others stayed in the cabin or hung around the back with the view of Windheart Lake for scenery. I decided to take a walk. I think I just needed a break from it all. The others were inside, most of them drinking. I wasn’t keen to stick around for that, either. Imagine how honest they would have been with me _without_ their inhibitions.

I wandered down the hill. Alone. Like an idiot. I was at the edge of a growth of eucalyptus trees with a few orange leaves still clinging on. Molehills were scattered over the ground, a couple stamped down by wild Pokémon that scurried away as I approached. My armor _clinked_ with every step, and my sword rattled slightly in its sheath.

I turned and faced the cabin. No one was coming for me. I sighed with relief.

Then I shivered. Odd. There wasn’t any wind blowing.

But it wasn’t the wind.

“Hello Alex.”

I turned around.

A Hydreigon hovered in front of me. He was dressed in a black-and-blue cape lined with black-and-red shed-fur, golden wristbands; or collars, depending how you look at it; a black-and-blue tunic stitched with the Varia mirror, and a golden crown, shaped around his crest, studded with pegmatite, calcite, petoskey stone, and amber.

It was him. Dreigo Varia. The Hydreigon that had been my king, the Pokémon that had died waiting for me to save him. Here. Alive. For a moment I just stood there, stupefied.

“I can’t believe it’s really you.” There was real tenderness in his voice.

I took a step back. “How- How are you here?”

“I’m not. What you’ll be seeing right now is just a projection; I’m standing in front of some magical contraption in Zweil’s laboratory. I have no idea how it works, of course, but I can see it is working!”

Another step. “But why? Why are you doing this?”

“Alex… it’s me, Dreigo.”

Dreigo. Dreigo Varia.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s…” No. This was wrong. I couldn’t show him that I was afraid. He couldn’t see me like this. He would figure it out.

I forced a smile.

“I just didn’t recognise you at first. I’m still getting used to these eyes.”

He smiled. “Imagine you, a _real Pokémon_!”

He looked genuinely amazed. In rich, expensive clothing and under a crown of solid gold, a childish smile was plastered across his face.

“Your parents would be so happy. If they weren’t so terrified for you.”

“My parents. How are they?”

“Missing you terribly. There are search parties all over the region trying to find you. They were called back when you were spotted by a Varia scout.”

“How did you know?” I asked.

“Well traditionally when scouts manage to find whom or whatever they're looking for, they usually let the Pokémon paying them know about it.”

“I mean how did you know that it was me?”

“I saw it. I saw you change right before me. We tried to rescue you, we tried to stop it from happening but the Skarsgards held us back. There was nothing we could do. Gods. I really thought we’d lost you.”

“But how did you know _I_ was the one you were looking for?” I asked. “What if I was just another Charmander called Alex?”

“Because there aren’t any! I knew Grande City like it was my own home before the war, there was no one else going by your name. Besides, when we received word of a Charmander appearing in the south only _days_ after I saw you change, well, the pieces just fit together.”

The wind rustled the leaves in the yellow birch trees above our heads. Dreigo’s body didn’t move.

“From who?” I asked.

“Hm?”

“Who told you about me? I spent a week in the hospital. I barely spoke to anyone. How could you have heard of me?”

“We were looking _everywhere_ for you! We left no stone unturned, we sent Pokémon out to search day and night for any _trace_ of you! But of course, you’d told everyone you had no idea who you were or where you came from. Quick thinking. No way to connect you to us. A little on-the-nose, though, don’t you think? You might have said you were from Charred Range, or even Glory Hills. But after that, of all things, cutting through _Ruby Forest_ to make it back to us in time for the battle!” He laughed. “I’ve never even heard the like of it! And the sheer _irony_ of it all! Of course you were captured by the Skarsgards, that much was inevitable. We devised a plan for just such occasion the moment we returned. Once the first battle was over, of course.”

His expression had slowly changed. Now his smile was gone, and he looked as though he was expecting an answer. I opened my mouth but Dreigo spoke over me. His voice was quiet, controlled.

“But then, during the ambush, you didn’t make any move to escape. In fact,” he leaned in closer, “you actually fought back.”

My eyes widened. “ _That’s_ why you attacked at the concert?”

“Alex, come _home_. We miss you. Your parents miss you. Your friends miss you. _Dei_ misses you! What are you _doing_ here?”

“I came here with people. They’re at the camp waiting for me. I can’t just abandon my friends to the Skarsgards.”

He threw his arms into the air. His two smaller heads glared down at me. “They’ve _joined_ the Skarsgards!” He took a deep breath. “I know, Alex. I know you’ve been through one trauma after another. I know those Pokémon were with you during those hard times, and that you feel as though can’t just drop them as if they don’t matter. But you can’t abandon your real friends either. Your real friends are in Grande City right now. _We’re_ _waiting for you_.”

I narrowed my eyes. “The real friends who abandoned me? Who led me into that place so _I_ could be the one to destroy it, then run off with their tails between their legs the second I get into trouble?! I almost _died_ the moment I was…” I struggled for the words, “born!”

“Doesn’t what you went through just further prove my point?”

“No. It doesn’t. And you don’t _know_ that it doesn’t because you weren’t _there_.”

“Neither were they.” He pointed at the Skarsgard flame on my chest.

“I know that,” I said.

“Then why are you still here? Who’s side are you on? Why are you with these Pokémon? Why didn’t you come straight home? Why did you _fight back_?!”

I had no choice then. I told him what had really happened. I told him about everything I’d been through. I told him that my memory really was, permanently, gone. I hadn't been faking it. Moltres know who he’d heard that from.

He hovered there, face sinking more and more as the story went on. By the time I got to the Barrier at the north end, he looked almost sick.

“Landorus above,” he said. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t realise. Gods, you must have been so confused. I hope that ambush didn’t cause you too much trouble.”

“You… You killed someone,” I said to him, sickened and astounded. “A Pokémon _died_ because of what you did. Because you were looking for me…”

Then his face changed again. Unblinking. Unpredictable. Looking him up and down, it was strikingly clear how much bigger he was then me. Three times bigger, to be exact.

“I’ll ask you again,” he said quietly. “Who’s side are you on?”

“I’m not saying I’m not on your side,” I told him, and to be fair, I wasn’t actually _saying_ that, “but what you did was pretty bad, Dreigo. A Pokémon _died_! Another Hydreigon!”

“How many of them would have died to Ruby Forest?!” he snapped. “How many are you prepared to lose to that place in the name of short-term comforts?! You feel superior to me now but you won’t feel _half_ so self-aggrandising when you watch that virus consume the world you love!”

“I’ve just _lived_ through Ruby Forest!” I yelled back. “What right do you have to lecture me on it?!”

“You think that _I_ haven’t suffered because of it?! _Gods!_ The _constant_ fear, the _constant_ fieldwork, the _Guardians_ , the _Burrowwilds_. Miles and miles of fertile land stripped _bare_! Fields of flowers and forests of healthy green ash _absorbed_ into that red abomination! Towns and buildings turned into watchtowers! _The endless, fucking, cycle of it!_ ”

“And you think that _destroying_ it is going to make things _better_?! _You're_ the one who's only looking for “short-term comforts”, Dreigo! You're looking for a quick-fix to a problem you don't even understand! You're just... being a _brat_!”

“ ** _Silence!_** ”

My hands went up to protect my ears. His voice boomed through the air, shaking the trees and rustling the grass. Somehow, he now seemed even larger. Inside of my items bag, the Booster Badge glowed.

“I’m doing this to protect my people.”

“I was one of your people! And I lost _everything_ because of you! How much more damage are you going to do before all this is over?!”

“We’ll find out in three days’ time.”

“And what if you lose?”

Dreigo laughed. “We will not.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Oh, but I do.”

Dreigo leaned in close. I tried to step away but somehow he was still an inch away from me. The further back I went the more he seemed to swallow up everything around him. “Your army won’t live to see the Dawn, Alex. I have six thousand Pokémon to your five. I have been preparing for this moment for _ten years_ , and I will give _everything I have to give_ to see it come to fruition. I am not afraid of you, or Octavia, or even that beast at the top of the Goldenwater prison. All that matters to me is that one of us plunges our sword through Ruby Forest’s heart and frees the World from that unholy plague for _good_. I couldn’t care less who ends up doing it. It never _had_ to be you.”

The Spectre grew and grew and grew, until its crest was rustling the leaves high up in the trees. He brushed a branch out of his face. How was he doing that?!

“I am willing to die for my cause,” he said, as dark-blue energy in the shape of a whiskered dragon’s heads formed in his three mouths. His voice became a kind of raspy roar. “Are you?”

I tried to run but there was no way I would be out of his shadow in time. The Booster Badge glowed. I sucked in air but my foot caught on a tree root and I fell. The blue glow grew brighter. The wind roared in my eyes. I screamed.

Them there was a flash of yellow light. Dreigo looked down and saw a clean hole cut into his chest. He opened his mouth to speak. The Spectre flickered and died.

Asa held out his vine in offering.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

“He's still alive,” I gasped for air, “how is he still alive?”

Asa frowned. “Who told you he wasn't alive?”

There was a long pause.

“I heard a rumour.” I took his vine and he helped me to my feet. “I heard someone say that the Pillar Oak had absorbed him.”

“We knew he’d gone silent but… Gods, Alex, I can only imagine that something like that would kill a Pokémon!”

I clutched my chest and breathed in deep. Tears ran down my cheeks. I was gasping for air but the harder I sucked in the harder it became.

Asa placed his vines on my back and propped himself up on two legs to rest on my shoulders. I hugged him tight, probably too tight, but he didn't complain.

“Thank you,” I sobbed.

“It’s all right,” he said softly, “it’s all right. He’s not going to hurt you here. I’m not going to let him hurt you. I swear to you. You’re safe, Alex. You’re safe.”

I sat on top of the hill staring down at the lake. It was a vast stretch of water, still, clear under a soft-blue sky. A few bird Pokémon came to a few feet away. A Pidgeotto landed on the roof of the cabin, took one look at me, and moved to the other end of the lake.

Hills fell away at each side. Far of to the east, white walls and grey battlements rose up beyond the peaks.

The back door of the cabin creaked open. Asa came and sat beside me.

“I’d ask you if you’re okay,” he said, “but…”

“Yeah,” I said, “I know. Thanks.”

“Listen, if you’re having doubts…”

“I wouldn’t tell _you_ ,” I said.

Asa chuckled.

A flock of Swablu, led by two Altaria, flew over our heads, coming to roost from the south.

“Why did you wander off alone?” he asked me.

“I just needed to get away for a little while.”

“No,” he said, “why did you wander off _alone_? You must have known the danger you were putting yourself in.”

“Is this going to be a pep talk or a lecture?”

“I hope it’ll be a conversation.”

The Swablu and the Altaria perched themselves on the other end of the lake. One of the Cotton Bird Pokémon; gold, where the others were blue, giving off a faint sparkle even from far away; landed far on the other side, away from his flockmates. One of the Altaria called out to him, but he shuffled further back.

“I wanted to see if anyone would come after me,” I confessed.

“And it appears that, thankfully, someone did.”

“Thankfully,” I agreed. “I really don’t know what I would have done with you.”

“Aha, don’t mention it!”

“Moltres, that was terrifying. I honestly though he was going to _kill_ me!”

“Don’t worry about Spectre magic. As far as I know it’s nothing more than a parlour trick. It was only a projection. An illusion, you could say.”

“How did he do it?”

Asa closed his eyes, and to my surprise, a look of disgust crossed his face. “Zweil. The middle brother. He’s an adept magician and a scientist, he has been since he was a child. But he doesn’t use magic the way it was meant to be used. Whether you sympathise with the Varias or not, no one could claim that Pokémon was using his talents for good. And he is _talented_. He’s probably the strongest magic-user in Itori, bar… well…” he blushed a little.

“Bar the Grande Mage?”

“Ahaha, well, I’m hardly the strongest Pokémon out there; I’m no Legendary, that’s for sure! And there are forces out there I couldn’t even imagine reckoning with. The Halo Mountains, the Fortune River, the Pillar Oak… I suppose I don’t have to tell you about that, do I?”

I nodded. I was quiet for a moment.

“I saw what it did to Commander Grayson, you know.”

He raised his eyebrows. “You did?”

“We found a Time Flower. You know what a Time Flower is?”

He nodded.

“I saw the whole thing. I saw myself as that… _creature_. I saw you and Feather and the others approaching me, I saw our battle, I saw you pleading for me to stop… I saw what happened to Atlas’ wings. Then I saw myself drive my sword into the Oak and then everything just went…” I stretched my hands out, mimicking the way the vision had faded away, that still moment before everything real and present had collapsed in on me.

He rested his vine on my back. “I had no idea. I’m sorry you had to see that.”

A sardonic laugh. “You saw it too. Only in real-time.”

“It still must have been horrible for you to see, especially unprepared.”

“I did see it in real life, actually. When Japeth- you know the Sawsbuck we came with? We were being absolutely _slaughtered_ by the Guardians, I honest to Moltres believed we were all about to die, and at the last second he broke free and rammed,” I slapped my hand against my palm, “his antlers into it. Then there was the shockwave, and then for a moment I thought we’d all been _blinded_! But we escaped. It was all thanks to him.

“It left a scar, across the middle of his face. It split both his antlers in half.”

“I remember, yes.”

“He says he's accepted it, but I can tell it's really bothering him.”

“It is… quite a drastic change. But many Pokémon learn to love their scars, they take pride in them.”

“The only thing Japeth took pride in is gone now. And it’s because of me.”

“Alex-”

I held up my hand. “Please. Don’t. Just don’t. I can’t take anymore white lies.”

Asa nodded. “I don't agree that they're “lies”, but I’ll put it aside, if that's what you need.”

“The pain was like something I’d never felt before. Or at least nothing that I can _remember_ feeling before. And I was far away from it at the time, I can’t _imagine_ what _he_ went through!”

“Don’t struggle to create more pain for yourself,” Asa said, “you’ve suffered enough because of Ruby Forest as it is.”

A small laugh. “Yeah. Like losing my memories, for a start.”

Then the air froze. I looked to Asa but he’d turned into a statue. I scanned the area but no threat had presented itself. The Altaria flew over to pick up the Swablu. The smaller Pokémon flapped his wings at the larger Pokémon’s talons and screeched at him.

“Asa?” I said. Then I saw that he was shaking.

“Alex,” he said, then swallowed, “there’s, um, there’s something I need to…” A long pause. He furrowed his brow and screwed up his eyes.

“What is it?”

No response.

“Asa,” I said, my tone more serious, “what-”

“It was me!”

The Altaria grabbed the Swablu by the wings and carried him back to the others. The young Pokémon struggled and screeched in protest, but was helpless in the stronger Pokémon’s grasp.

“What?” I said quietly.

His eyes were fixed on the ground, unblinking. He was breathing heavily. His voice sounded agonised. “I was the one who wiped your memories. It was just after you attacked the Pillar Oak. The others had been knocked unconscious, I was the only one still awake, or I was the first one to wake up, I can’t be sure. I went looking for you, I found a Charmander on the other side of the trunk, there was no human, there were no… remains. Just a Charmander, barely even alive. I knew it was you, I just _knew_. It just _felt like you_. And also you were wearing his clothes.

“I tried to heal you but the Forest Pokémon had been woken up by the shockwave and we had to run. I took you south away from the others, I found a Sanctuary, I met a friendly Pokémon there and when she saw the state you were in she took me to a tunnel that led to a spot near the Barrier. I took you south as far as I could carry you. I found another Sanctuary, Oran Berry Cave. I knew someone from the Atlanta Academy would come and find you. I knew you were _safe_ there!”

He took a deep breath. The Altaria set the Shiny Swablu down in the middle of the flock, hemmed in by the others. The Altaria landed beside and the flock settled down to drink. The Swablu bent his head to the water.

“But I knew you’d be in danger again the second you woke up. You'd come looking for us, you’d go back to the Varias, you’d… the Skarsgards could have caught you, or one of their allies, or the Academy might have tried to keep you there. I knew you'd fight your way out, you'd have done anything to go back to them; Gods, Alex, you were so _determined_ to go through with Dreigo’s plan. I thought to myself, if you managed to escape you might have even risked cutting back through Ruby Forest. Looks like I was right about that, at least?”

He gave an awkward smile. I said nothing, expressed nothing.

He carried on, not meeting my eye. “I used a Gem to wipe your memories. It only took things to do with your name, your past, your friends, I left all the basic-”

“I already know this.”

“Right, right, of course. I just meant… I didn’t do this to hurt you, Alex. I knew this was the only way to keep you safe. And I know I even failed to do that. But please believe me. I did it to protect you.”

He forced himself to meet my eye. He said nothing. I said nothing. For a moment, I just sat there, stunned into silence.

Then I punched him in the face. I didn’t use my sword, or my Claws, or a fire attack. I just decked him. Right between the eyes.

I stared at him. He stared back. I raised my fist again. The silver-coloured jewel studded into the band around his head flashed, and suddenly I was frozen in place.

I saw him clearly now, and I could read the expression on his face; his body was tensed, his eyes were constricted, and his mouth was turned down at the corners; but it wasn't fear. Fear in a trained Pokémon would have made his stance bigger, not smaller. I know that look. That was _guilt_.

But he wasn't afraid of me. How could he be? I was completely at his mercy, physically speaking. Although that wasn’t going to stop me from lashing out at him.

“When Tobias found me in Oran Berry Cave I had been abandoned, robbed, and beaten into a _coma_! I was almost _dead_ by the time he’d carried me into the Academy, and I’m almost as heavy as he is! And where were you?! Where _were_ you, Asa?! Why did you even bother wiping my memories if you were just going to leave me to die anyway?!”

Asa closed his eyes. “Alex,” he said quietly, “I had no idea that would happen to you; I never wanted you to get hurt, please believe me when I tell you that.”

“I won’t. You carried me away from my friends, you wiped my memory, you dragged me to the south end of the region, and you then left me behind!”

“I was trying to protect you.”

“You only put me in danger!”

“Not nearly as much danger as you would have been in if you had remembered. Do you think the old Alex would have had the presence of mind to shut his mouth and kept a low profile?”

I narrowed my eyes. “How the hell would I know? I’ve never even met the guy.”

“You would have kicked up the biggest fuss Emerald Town had ever seen. And that's only if you managed to survive the first week in the hospital. You knowing your name _alone_ was enough to put a Tauroseye on your back, and then look what happened. Even after losing your memory, even after finding yourself days and days from home, even after becoming a different _species_ , someone, somehow, found out.”

We both went quiet. The wind rustled the trees and the grass and whistled in my ears. I swallowed.

“The Pokénappers?” I said, not so much a question.

“I don't know anything about them aside from what you told me. I asked Octavia herself and we had no sleeper agents active in the Finley household. Besides! If I’d wanted you back here, I would never have wiped your memories in the first place!”

“They only found me because of that name tag, Asa.”

“You despise me for taking away your memories, and now you begrudge me for leaving you your name? Alex, I knew my solution wouldn't keep you away from us forever. One way or the other you would have found out, and maybe you would have still held that hatred in your heart for us, maybe you would never have forgiven me, maybe we would never have seen you again; maybe you would have turned on us and tried to rally up a revolution, just like Dreigo did. Gods know you had the reputation, not to mention the _charisma_ for it.” Charisma? Me? “I had just hoped to keep you away long enough to keep you safe from _him_. He was _using_ you, Alex, and I think you know that.”

I laughed. I laughed so hard tears filled my eyes. Asa watched me work myself up into a fit, holding very still.

“And what exactly is this?! You were trying to keep me away long enough for the Skarsgards to win and for me to be _useless_ to anyone else! Then when I showed up again looking for answers you wrangled me around to your side so _you_ could use me against _them_! It’s _super_ convenient that you did this to me “to protect me”, when taking away my memories happens to be such a huge leg-up your own side. Dying would have been even better! Especially if some petty thieves had been able to take the blame for it!”

“That's enough!”

A bright green flash. I screwed my eyes shut but it still left spots in my vision. Asa’s body was tensed, haunches raised, jaw set. My eyes moved to the handle of my sword.

“I’m a pacifist, Alex, I’m not on anyone’s _side_. I don't fight for the Skarsgards; I fight for what I think is right!”

“Do you think _this_ what right?!”

“This was as close to right as I could be!”

“I almost died!”

“And who are you to lecture me about that?! You, of all Pokémon! _I almost died because of you, Alex!_ And you were sure as heck willing to do it!”

I stared at him for a second, then looked away. For all my anger, for all my arguments, for all my fear and resentment and hatred, in that moment, he had beaten me.

The Altaria lifted their heads from the water, spread their wings, and spoke to the eight Swablu. I couldn’t hear their words from where I was. The flock picked up the wind and flew north, disappearing into the purple haze of the Halo Mountains.

Asa’s tone softened. “Think of all we’ve done for you, Alex. We took you and your friends in, we put our trust in you after you broke it the first time, we gave you armour and a team, we gave you a _mission_. We’re _relying on you_. We’ve let down our guards and opened up our hearts. Now it's time for you to do the same.”

I looked down. The glow had faded, and I could move my body again. I’m not sure when exactly that had happened.

“We can’t go forward if you can't trust us, Alex.” He look at me imploringly. There was so much desperation in his eyes. “So? Can you trust us?”

I threw my arms into the air. “Don't act like _I’m_ the one being _untrustworthy_ here, Asa! You’ve all had your eyes on me since I wandered into that camp _half-dead_. You and Feather jumped on me the moment I was half-conscious!”

“I was there to heal you.” He sounded offended. “And Feather was there to-”

“Recruit me…” I finished. I frowned. I looked down at the ground.

“Feather _loves_ you, Alex. He wanted you to be with us so badly because he doesn’t want to lose you again. You’re one of the only family members he has left. You can understand that, right?”

“I suppose, but…”

“And we’re actually putting a lot of trust in you already. This is a very important mission, Alex. Octavia would not have sent you if she thought you were going to betray us.”

“Except that she sent me with you, the Enderpyres, and my old army buddies so you could all watch over me. That doesn’t seem like trust to me.”

“ _I_ trust you. I do now more than ever, especially after this.”

I almost laughed. “Because I punched you in the face?”

“Exactly. The moment you struck me was the moment I realised I could trust you with my life.”

“… Did I give you a concussion, or something?”

“The old Alex may have been boisterous but he was not stupid. If you had intended to turn on us after what I’d told you, you would not have let it show. You would have closed your eyes, taken a deep breath, and told me that you forgave me. You would have played along as the model Skarsgard soldier for as long as it took until you had the perfect opportunity to turn on us. You would have hidden your feelings. But clearly you never had any intention of leaving us. You were simply angry, and afraid. And for that I am truly, truly, truly sorry.”

I was silent for a long moment.

“Is that…” I swallowed. “Is that what you were expecting? That I would lie to your face and then turn on you? A second time?”

“Does that matter?” he asked.

“Yes,” I answered.

“I wouldn’t have blamed you, if you didn’t want to work with us anymore. But you’re stronger than that. I see that now. I've seen it in the way you care for your friends, how you made an effort to connect to the Victory Hunters, how you defended the innocent Pokémon at the concert. You’re a good Pokémon. You’ve grown so much since I last saw you, if not in a literal sense.”

“I’m taller than you.”

“Yes, but I’m _wider_.”

A small laugh escaped.

“You really have changed. You’ve become a whole new kind of person. And you brought out so much good from so little. Growing into an oak with no memory of being an acorn. It’s extraordinary.”

“I’m really not into tree metaphors right now, no offence.”

“Will you think about what I’ve said? We really do want you to feel like you can trust us. For your own sake, as well as ours.”

I nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I can trust you. I was just… I was angry. I’m sorry. It won't happen again.”

Asa gave me a warm smile. He placed a vine on my shoulder and squeezed.

“I believe in you, Alex.”

I nodded. Asa went to the door of the cabin and held it open for me. Just before he closed it behind him, I looked over my shoulder back at the lake. The Swablu had gone.

We stopped to rest a couple of miles from Stormfell Tombs. The hills protected us from sight from the south. Still, the aerial Pokémon kept close eyes on the horizon.

“I’m sick of just _standing_ here!” said Markus. “I’m ready to _work_!” He slammed his fist into his palm. His middle finger slid out of place.

“You keep doing that,” Atlas said as he helped him fit it back in.

“Ugh, I miss Cedric.” He caught my eye. “Sorry.”

Art and Tess watched from the sky. Bonnie and Nate were put on patrolling, pacing a circular path through the grass. The Sapphire Fang was tucked away in the Arcanine’s bag. Amber, along with Scar, Agatha, Niamh, and Baz, sat in an outwards-facing ring around her.

“So we’re going through with it then?” said Coast. “We’re really going to try and wake that thing up?”

“We can’t just leave them there,” said Feather.

“Can't we?”

“What would we do with the Fang?” asked Atlas.

“Destroy it,” said the Barbaracle.

“The Gyarados’ soul is supposed to be inside the Fang,” said Braze, “destroying it would kill them.”

“We’re putting a hell of a lot more lives in danger by letting them loose.”

“That’s exactly the kind of attitude that drives the Varias.”

“Excuse me?!”

Feather quickly stepped in between the two of them.

“All right, all right, cool off, the pair of you. Why don't we let Sapphire decide? It does technically belong to her. Maybe if she brought it home safely to her family,” he was saying this to Sapphire, but she was just staring at the blue tower, transfixed.

“I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Amber said sombrely. “Some things can’t be fixed. Ever.”

“But there has to be a way!” I blurted out. “They're her _family_! They can’t remove her from their lives completely because of… because of a mistake!”

Most of the others just looked sad. But Braze looked annoyed. He came and stood over me, three times my height.

“Just drop it, kid,” he said. “No one’s sympathising with you right now, and we don’t need another fucking reminder of your “tragic backstory” at a time like this.”

I opened my mouth but he cut over me.

“I can read between the lines, jackass. I don’t need any whining from you of all people, all right? Some things can’t be fixed. You can’t just weasel your way back into everyone’s lives like you never left. You have to live with that guilt just like they have to live with the consequences of _your_ actions. That’s your punishment. Some people don’t want you to make things right. The only thing you can do is take it like a Pokémon.” He leaned in closer. “And stop sticking your nose in where it doesn’t belong. This is Sapphire’s drama, not yours. We’ve all got skeletons in our closets. Not every problem in Itori somehow circles back to you feeling back about yourself. You hear me?”

He didn’t wait for an answer. He gestured to Feather who quickly snapped to attention and ran ahead, leading us down the hill.

A large hall of dark-brown stone waited on the horizon.

Stormfell Tombs was far to big to hide with a Guardian’s seal. Its walls were carob-brown, lined with carved stone painted gold. Fifty high steeps led up to a door carved with the same symbol as Sapphire’s medallion.

The emblem of the Sea Guardians glowed from within the Arcanine’s mane, a deep blue colour, and the doors to the tomb did the same.

“Wow, you didn’t have to give it a secret password, or anything,” said Harriet.

“That’s why the Varias wanted me,” Sapphire said. “It wasn’t even my knowledge or my connections, it was this. The medallion essentially acts as a skeleton key, it can open any door sealed by a Sea Guardian emblem. That’s why when this is all over I _will_ have to kill you all to preserve its secrets.”

“Don’t, they'll think you're being serious!" said Amber.

“Yeah,” said Coast, “it’s not _Sapphire_ you need to worry about in this place.”

Sapphire didn’t dispute her. The doors to the hall _clicked_ open, and the Sea Guardian led the way inside. We followed her in.

The inside of the hall was a lighter shade, lit by sunlight filtered through dusty windows, with enormous fluted columns, and grimy earth-brown tiles.

The walls were decorated by a skillfuly-carveud mural of twenty-four Pokémon, each placed alone on a number of small hills, standing tall and proud, heads held high, dressed in heavy yet old, outdated armour, wielding simple weapons; flails, shortswords, spears. Behind them were round-edge rectangular stones; they looked a lot like tombstones.

Towards the other end of the hall the hills fell away to crashing waves, building higher and higher until they crested around a carving of the Legendary Pokémon Lugia, wings in the air, head raised and mouth open in a triumphant roar. Their foot was resting on top of a thrashing Gyarados, a Giant almost matching their own size, fangs bared and faced twisted into a hateful snarl.

“This was the ceremonial hall,” Sapphire told us, “they used it for inaugurations, celebratory feasts, weddings, that kind of thing. It was also where criminals would be taken to receive judgement.”

I glanced down and saw a dark splatter across the tiles. I went wide around it.

“That was a long time ago now, though.”

Twenty-four coffins were lined up along the walls between the columns. Brown, lined with gold. They were set up just below the murals of the fallen warrior Pokémon.

Sapphire was halfway across the hall when the first one moved.

“Sapphire,” Amber called, “do you want to take a step back, sweetie?”

Sapphire took a step forward.

_CLAK._

We collectively spun around at once. For a brief moment we were all frozen in place.

“What the fuck?!” Nate squeaked.

One of the lids had been shifted. A decayed, yellow hand scratched against the oiled wood. The skeleton of a Heracross placed both hands on the sides and jerked itself upright, legs scraping erratically against the coffin lining, until it was on its feet and clambering over the edge towards us. Then all the lids moved.

“Oh Zapdos oh fuck it's all of them.”

“Today, children,” Braze called, drawing the greatsword strapped to his back, “there’s twenty-four of them and twenty-two of us. Stop gagging, Nathan!”

“Take them on one on one,” said Feather, “Asa and I will take two.”

“You sure you’ll be all right?”

My cousin smiled. He spread his wings held his chin up high.

“You’d better hope so!”

The skeletons came limbering towards us.

Feather placed his hand the Y-shaped badge pinned to his hat. It flashed, red, yellow, green, blue, purple, and brilliant orange, orange as the twin streams of light looping around each other as they arched through the air away into Feather’s body, and he glowed; red, yellow, green, blue, purple, orange. Beams of light shone from his skin.

His body was breaking apart. His arms or wings or face would crumble into an unshaped mess, then rebuild themselves, taller, wider, stronger. His horns stretched, fused together, then shook out four long spikes. His tail flicked out three sharp points. His wings grew longer and the blue-green skin grew ragged and hung loose from his bones. His hands grew longer and his wrist bones pulled back until two small wings stuck out from his arms. The metal joints in armour loosened and fixed back together around his body.

There was a blinding orange flash. Feather threw his head back and roared. A rainbow-coloured symbol lit up the room and burned inside the Y-shape badge.

“Attack!” the Mega Charizard-Y ordered.

I drew my sword. Before I even had a target a Golisopod skeleton; a Golisoton, if you will; charged at me, knocking the sword out of my hand with one pad before cutting me with the claws on the other. It kicked me to the ground and raised its arm. Khan’s Giga Impact broke it in half.

I picked myself up and turned and held up my shield to block the Emboar skeleton’s punch. Markus’ Hammer Arm slammed into its spine and it went clattering across the floor.

“Guess we’re not really “big-boned” after all!”

A Lairon skeleton was butting heads with Bonnie. I ran towards it, blade point aimed at its neck, and it dodged at the last second, leaving my sword to bang against the tiles. It rammed into my side, slamming into one of the columns.

Bonnie used Fire Fang. The fire glanced harmlessly off the skeleton’s leg and his teeth didn’t even pierce the periosteum. Yeah, that’s right, I know science words, what are you going to do about it?

The Lairon slammed its foot down on Bonnie’s face. Atlas’ battleaxe came down and snapped its spine in half. The skeleton of a Midnight Form Lycanroc jumped on his back, grabbing bits of flesh between its fingers.

A Hippowdon barrelled across the floor, kicking up dust and tile fragments. I raised my sword and charged. The skeleton opened its mouth wide and the sword went right through. It clamped down on my wrists and I cried out.

Braze’s greatsword chopped off its head.

“Did you really try to stab it through the mouth?” he said, forcing the blade between its jaws to pry me free.

“… Stick ‘em with the pointy end.”

_CLAKCLAKCLAK!_

Braze kicked me out of the way before a skeleton Gliscor could snatch me up in its mouth. He swung his sword, the Gliscor dodged, then bit down on his leg. It was biting down so hard that its fangs were crumbling away to dust, but Braze’s armour cracking.

I stuck my Claws in its eye and pulled. Braze pried himself free, bashed it in the jaw with the pommel of his sword, and with his dented leg stomped down on its back.

Asa’s Razor Leaf cut the skull off a Sigilyph skeleton’s neck. The decapitated head snapped up and down, and the other skeletons turned their attentions towards it.

_CLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAK!_

The Gliscor’s tail wriggled until the Charizard cut it off with his sword. It went flying towards the centre, just in front of the mural at the back wall, along with bits and shards of bone scattered across the floor.

The skeletons broke apart and _click_ ed back together, growing taller and taller into one long spine, almost reaching to the ceiling. Two stocky, arched legs attached themselves, followed by a long, pointed tail. Ridges appeared along its back. Hand-like wings grew from its shoulders.

The skulls broke apart and reassembled into an enormous, beaked face, with dagger-like wingtips around its eyes.

“Lugia protect us…” Sapphire whispered.

“Honey,” Amber said, in a low voice, “I don’t think we can count on them anymore.”

The skeleton Lugia spread its wings and roared.

_CLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAK!_

It swept its tail across the floor. Most of us managed to jumped or duck just in time. It clipped Markus and Coast, and Tess, Baz, Agatha, and I took a direct hit. We clung on as tight as we could and prepared a counter-attack at close-range. The skeleton raised its tail and slammed us against the floor.

We fired our strongest-long range attacks, aiming for the skull at Feather’s command. It slammed its wings on the ground, and snatched Scar and Harriet up in its wing-like hands, squeezing tighter and tighter until it was crushing them. Fortis’ Blaze Kick and Coast’s Stone Edge connected with the back of its hands, while Feather and Atlas dug their claws in to pry them free. The skeleton put its hands together and swept them backwards across the floor. The Enderpyres, Asa, and Khan managed to dodge, but the rest of us were hit, knocking us to the floor or into one another.

Skelugia roared.

_CLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAK!_

I was charging a fire-type attack when Braze’s Dragon Tail sent me rolling across the floor. Half a second later, Skelugia’s beak smashed through the tiles. It gazed at me through the empty holes of its eyes. I shivered.

The others fired at the point where its neck connected to its skull. It was forced to pull back, but as it did, it grabbed my tail in its beak and tossed me into the air. There was a horrifying moment where I saw myself falling into its open mouth, onto the razor-sharp teeth along its beak.

Art grabbed me in his magnets and pulled me away just as Skelugia’s mouth snapped at open air. Baz was riding up Tess’ shell; the Octillery fired an Octazooka, which went directly into one eye hole and out of the other.

Skelugia bent down and clapped its hands together. Most of us were hit but we all managed to slip through its fingers. All except one. Tobias.

I drew my sword and ran to him. Khan summoned Brick Break. Skelugia raised its fist and squeezed.

“ _Stop!_ ” three voices cried at once.

A studded earring hit Skelugia’s wrist. There was a bright yellow flash, and the skeleton’s bones turned the same hue. Tobias dropped and landed in Khan’s arms. The bones making up Skelugia’s arm began to fall apart.

Skelugia clutched its melting arm and roared, backing away from us.

_CLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAK!_

We fired all at once at its shoulder. It blocked with its other hand then turned in a circle, sweeping us with its tail. Only the fliers dodged, but the rest of us managed to push ourselves back up.

“Don’t let down your guard!” said Asa. “It’s already starting to wear off!”

The yellow glow shrunk, sputtered, died. The bones on its arms floated back up, twisting and _click_ ing back together. We tried firing at it but it shielded itself with its tail and arm. Its beak crashed down on us again and Markus countered with his Hammer Arm; Skelugia grabbed his wrist in its beak, then tossed him into a pillar.

We fired a combined attack that the skeleton blocked by folding its long wing-like hands in front of its face. It raised its leg and its foot came crashing on top of Tobias and I. Feather grabbed us by the wrists and pulled us out of the way. It landed on him instead.

“Feather!” I cried.

Bones cracked and dust rose, but the wind had been knocked right out of him. The skeleton kicked him away and he rolled across the tiles, unconscious. There was a bright white glow tinted with orange, and Feather’s body shrunk back down to its original size. His armour fell back into place. The glow from the Y-shaped badge pinned to his hat faded and died.

We kept firing at the top of its neck. It ducked its head in and slammed its fists down on the floor. Tess and Baz were knocked out of the air, Amber was slammed into the ground. The tiles cracked beneath her. Sapphire ran to her side only to be grabbed by a bony hand. We tried firing at one of its wrist, all at once, but the second it broke apart it was already reattaching itself. Amber leapt up and grabbed Sapphire by the ankle and pulled her free. Skelugia brought its wrist down to grind them both into the ground.

“This is a nightmare!” Atlas cried, right before being crushed under its foot. Coast made a dive to rescue him, and it kicked her across the floor.

Some of us tried to move around it but it swung its tail and swept us back. Braze made a dive for its neck, greatsword raised. It grabbed in its beak and slammed its own head into a pillar. Its face cracked and broke, then came together again. Braze coughed up dust and bone.

Feather called our orders and we spread out, prepared to attack it from both sides.

_CLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAK!_

Quieter this time. Not like a roar. If anything, it was more like it was trying to talk to us. What in Moltres’ name it could have had to say in this situation, I couldn’t tell you.

Wind whistled through its empty mouth. Shards of bone and dust picked up from the ground and came apart from the skeleton’s body. 

A howling tornado of wind and bone swept over us. The smaller Pokémon were sent flying across the hall, the larger ones cut in a hundred places by a storm of razor-sharp shards. Tobias and I held each other by the hand and tried to push back against the gale. Fortis turned his back to shield Harriet, and the bone cut into his jacket. Harriet reached her Steel Wings around him. Khan turned his head and called after us, and the dust lodged into his throat, choking him.

Asa’s Razor Leaf attacks were the only thing getting through. Skelugia blocked with one hand. From its other side, Braze summoned Flare Blitz, aiming for its shoulder. It slapped him out of the air with its free hand and slammed against the back wall. Braze forced his wings to move and strained to stay in the air. A bony beak dived for him, but Asa’s Solar Beam broke it into pieces.

The bones _click_ ed back together and Skelugia roared. I know it was only an illusion, but I could have sworn we could hear something else through the trousle of bones. Something high-pitched and echoing. Something like music.

_CLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAK!_

The back wall of the room came apart. The mural of Lugia and the Gyarados broke off and formed a floating platform; Lugia on top, the Gyarados on the floor. The rest became two rows of hovering stairs leading up into the air, with a single step connecting both in the middle. Below was nothing but a swirling blue-purple void.

Coast clung to the dais with one hand, facing us. Skelugia unleashed its Shard Wind down on top of her. Her claws slid free from the stone. Asa’s Vines grabbed onto her and pulled her to safety.

Avalon was the first to jump onto one of the steps. She had to pull herself up, but she managed it. Then Skelugia’s hand and landed on top of her. Braze’s greatsword caught on its wrist and he pulled it away.

The flying Pokémon were flanking from the air. Another Shard Wind swept them back and cut into their skin. Braze’s body flashed a fiery orange as the Blaze ability activated. He risked a Flare Blitz attack, aiming at its chest. The Skelugia caught him in both hands. Bonnie and Nate attacked one wrist, Agatha and Scar the other, and the Commander managed to struggle free.

I was climbing the steps. Amber and Sapphire passed me on the other side. Asa was right behind me. Tobias was right behind him.

Skelugia ran up onto the first two steps. The flankers tried to distract it but it kept going, ignoring their attacks as they chipped away at its body. If you can call it that. It’s not like it would have mattered, anyway; it was just going to make its next attack that much stronger.

Amber and Sapphire carried on, making for the platform. The Skelugia slammed its hands down on top of them and pressed on their necks, suffocating them.

Asa stood on the middle step and aimed his Solar Beam at its skull. It opened its mouth to swallow it. Of course, that meant shooting right through its mouth. Fantastic.

Skelugia sucked in air, dust, and bone, and fired it at Asa. A sharp piece of what might have been a tooth hit him in the corner of the eye and his grip slipped. The wind swept him off the platform. His vines snapped out and wrapped around the step just in time.

Shard Wind swept over us. Tobias was knocked off his feet. Braze caught him. I saw the Skelugia's non-eyes fix on them; I gave an angry, helpless roar, and my Fire Spin wrapped around its chest and ran up and down its spine.

It didn't even look at me.

Atlas’ Fly attack and Braze’s Flare Blitz cracked the back of the skeleton’s shoulders. It lifted its arms to swipe away at the two Charizard; the Ninetales and the Arcanine lay on their sides, gasping for air.

Asa was up on the platform firing Razor Leaf; it cut lines into Skelugia’s skull and took the end off its left wingtip. It immediately reattached. Shards and dust sunk back into the cracks in its face until it was whole again. It didn’t even look like any damage had been done.

It grabbed him in its beak and tossed him over the edge. Not even his vines would reach one of the steps. I couldn't see any of the fliers. Everything went still.

Art shot out from underneath one of the steps and caught him. I ran a hand over my face. Feather called out to my and I got moving again.

Amber and Sapphire struggled to their feet; they were out of breath, and their legs and sides had been badly bruised. They both started hacking violently; bone dust and shards spewed out of their mouths.

Harriet’s Hydro Cannon hit the back of Skelugia’s skull. When it turned its head, Fortis’ swords pried into its jaw and ripped it out of its socket. Khan took the opportunity to take its foot out from under it with Dragon Rush. It fell to one knee.

Avalon was almost at the Fang. She leapt from one step to the other, paused for a moment to catch her breath, then ran and jumped for the other one. She grabbed the ledge with both forepaws and hauled herself up onto the stone. Just three more to go.

Then Skelugia saw her. Its jaws clicked back into place with Fortis’ swords lodged into its skull. For a second, maybe less, it just stood there, staring at her, its limbs frozen in place. Its beak was slightly open. Maybe it had just fixed itself wrong.

Then gave an angry _CLAKCLAKCLAK!_ and came clambering up the steps towards her, all four limps lurching up the steps. She was hoisting herself up onto one of the steps. She couldn’t defend herself. The bony hand was inches away when Feather’s Giga Impact crashed into its shoulder, saving her.

He tried to force his wings to move but his energy was gone. Feather fell.

“ _No!_ ” I screamed.

Braze swooped down and Feather landed on his back. He struggled for just a moment, but slowly he made his back to solid ground.

Avalon was one step away.

Skelugia roared again, reaching out its arms to grab her and crush her between them.

_CLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAK!_

Then it stopped.

Everyone on the ground was pulling on its tail. With their hands or jaws or tentacles or magnets, they were dragging against the smooth tails or against the air.

“ _Run, now! That’s an order!_ ” Feather called.

I made it to the next step, and looked over my shoulder. I froze.

Tobias was right below Skelugia. The Pokémon on the floor gave a sharp tug and it fell to one knee. Right on top of him. Tobias’ shell went shooting out over the edge.

In my panic, my body made to jump for him. Atlas caught him between his feet and carried him back up. I just about pulled myself back from the edge just in time.

Skelugia’s beak came crashing down; Atlas swerved just in time. He dropped Tobias off on the nearest step and pulled away just in time to block another dive with his shield. He went flying backwards. He flapped his wings hard, recovered, and drove his halberd up under its head. It swung its long neck and knocked him away. The skinny Charizard grabbed onto one of the steps just in time. The skeleton turned its attention back to Tobias but a Razor Leaf filled its eye sockets and cut into its wingtips.

“Keep going!” the Bulbasaur called. “You’re almost there!”

I jumped to the next step. Avalon grabbed onto the edge of the dais. Skelugia reached out to pull itself up but the fliers focused all their attacks on its hand, cracking it. As it _click_ ed back together, they fired again.

_CLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAK!_

I jumped, and Avalon grabbed me by the hand and pulled me up. We were at the last platform. Skelugia was dragging itself forward, pulling so hard that its fingers were filing against the stone steps. Avalon and I blew smoke in its eyes. They went right through. It reached out to grab me. Feather slashed at it with his sword. He tried blinding it with Inferno but it ducked its head and dodged. That was five times, it would be out of Power Points by now. It lunged for him but its beak closed around the edges of my cousin’s shield. He beat his wings against the air and pushed back, gritting his teeth, his tail fire flickering as tall as he was, letting off a pale grey smoke. Even without his Mega form, he was still formidable.

While I was just standing there, useless.

“ _Alex! Use the Booster Badge!_ ” the Quilava commanded.

The red badge inside my items bag flashed. My eyes met with Feather’s as flames leaked through his jaws. The badge’s glow lit the room up orange. Feather turned to face our opponent. He breathed in deep, and a stream of fire swelled into an enormous dome. Flamethrower became Inferno Overdrive.

The dome grew and grew until it swallowed Skelugia whole. Its roar was muffled by the sound of the flames.

_CLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAK!_

The skeleton thrashed. Its arms swung wide and swept me aside. Feather stopped my fall.

Its other arm slammed down on the tile just in front of Avalon. Her face was set. Her jaws was clenched and eyes were focused on Skelugia. For the first time I can remember, she looked absolutely terrified.

“Avalon, don’t!” Feather called.

Avalon used Flame Charge. She jumped onto Skelugia’s wrist; it grabbed at her with its other hand but she slipped through its fingers. Her paws clutched the bone as she ran up its arm and leapt off its shoulder crashed into its jaw and made its head snap back. She clung onto its neck for dear life. The steps were far away. The void waited beneath them.

Tobias jumped onto the last step, dragged himself to his feet. The platform was one more big jump away. Below was… well, Lugia knows what was waiting below us. Tobias took a step back, screwed up his eyes, and jumped. He opened them in time to see that he’d missed the platform. He screamed. I screamed. Asa’s vine shot out and grabbed him by the tail, then tossed him onto the platform. The skeleton grabbed two of the steps and pulled so hard the grounded Pokémon closest to its spine end up dangling over the edge.

Tobias had a clear view of the Sapphire Fang. He ran towards it and clutched it on both palms, then scream as a bolt of magic fried his hands.

“Tobias!” Asa called. “Use this!”

Asa ripped the studded earring from his left ear and tossed it to him. Tobias jumped and caught it, leaned back and waved his free arm to stop himself tripping over the edge. The skeleton ripped itself free of its tail and came scrambling towards him, beak snapping, wind whistling through its empty eyes. It opened its beak wide and reached out its arms and jumped.

Feather grabbed it by the back the neck. Braze and Atlas took it by the legs and beat their wings against the still air, pulling it back. It grabbed onto the steps with its hands and feet and snapped and thrashed and reached for them but Amber's Mystical Fire blinded it and Sapphire’s Fire Fang broke through its ankle and it slipped from one of the steps.

The earring glowed a sunny yellow in Tobias’ hand.

“What does it do?!” he called.

“It will protect you!” Asa answered. “Hold it in your palm!”

Skelugia raised its head. Feather and I fired together, and two Flamethrowers clouded its vision. It roared, and the high-pitched music echoed.

_CLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAKCLAK!_

Tobias grabbed onto the Sapphire Fang. There was a blinding flash of bright blue magic, but Tobias held strong. Then the whole dais turned a radiant yellow. The steps moved back in, and the platform lowered.

Skelugia went berserk. It came barrelling towards us, all grace and tactical composure lost. It charged through through our attacks even as they started to crack its body apart. It grabbed on with both hands but a Gem-powered Solar Beam cut right through them.

It snapped its jaws but Art was there, holding it off with Mirror Shot.

Niamh scaled the skeleton’s back. She swung over its shoulder and put her arm around Avalon’s waist, clinging tight with her free hand and feet as she made her way back down. The Quilava was barely conscious, but she stayed awake to blow smoke through its eye-holes. A combined attack from Agatha, Scar, Bonnie, Nate, Tess, and Baz broke the skeleton's tail as it tried to sweep over the floor.

Braze’s Flare Blitz crashed into its chest. It grabbed at the steps but Atlas’ battleaxe and Asa’s Solar Beam shattered its wrists. Baz’s Octazooka and Niamh’s Flame Burst and Scar’s Razor Wind and Agatha’s Razor Shell and Nate’s Fire Punch and Bonnie’s Iron Tail cut through its left leg, Tess’ Gyro Ball and Art’s Zap Cannon and Harriet’s Hydro Cannon and Fortis’ Blaze Kick and Khan’s Fire Blast crushed its right into bits. With one last desperate grab its half-formed beak snapped erratically at the air.

Its beak scraped against my chainmail. It snapped one last time as the Skelugia fell into the abyss.

The dais _click_ ed back into place. Feather lowered me to the ground. Tobias jumped down, and the others cheered for him. His face turned sea-blue.

He took a deep breath. His face was hard, set, unsympathetic. “I don’t want you to cheer for me. I didn't do it for-”

“Tobias!” I chanted, cutting over him. “Tobias! Tobias! Tobias!”

The others joined me.

The Squirtle’s head went halfway into his shell.

The Sapphire Fang rested in the mural Gyarados’ mouth. The cheers continued as crossed over to pry it out.

He dug his fingers into the crack.

“ _Yow!_ ”

A spark of yellow electricity ran through him and he yanked his hand away. He looked down. The Sapphire Fang had come with it.


	19. Silver Water

_““Hello” is the beginning of “good-bye.” I hope we meet again.” - Aroma Lady, Ruby & Sapphire_

The Sapphire Fang had come home.

It was a gigantic tower, fourteen stories tall. The walls were shining blue stone lined with gold, all the way to the roof, where it was topped by a golden dome. Above the door was a plaque carved from sea jasper, where three words were written in Unown:

“Koganemizu no Keimusho,” Atlas read aloud, “the Prison of Golden Water.”

“What the hell that thing _made_ of?” said Fortis.

Tobias and Harriet shared a look of awe. Khan only looked apprehensive.

“Larimar,” said the Arcanine, “blue flourite, tourmaline, kyanite, lapis lazuli, sea jasper. And you see those veins? Sapphire. Pure sapphire.”

Tobias looked almost emotional. “And the dome?”

“Pure gold.”

We rested at the bottom of the tower. We had been walking non-stop since the Stormfell Tombs.

“Anne, could we talk for a moment?” I glanced at the others. “Alone?”

Harriet and I wandered up a nearby hill until we were out of earshot. The grass was torn up and the earth was bare; my feet sunk into the soil and left deep footsteps behind me. Feather flapped his wings to signal to us to stop. We couldn’t go far. We could still see them and they could still see us. I was facing the Skarsgards.

“What’s up?” Harriet said, glancing quickly over her shoulder, wings tucked under her axillaries. Yeah, that’s right, I know bird anatomy too, deal with it.

“I saw Dreigo Varia yesterday,” I said.

She went rock-still.

“He wasn’t in the Pillar Oak. He said that that wasn’t even possible. It would kill a Pokémon, instantly.”

Harriet opened her beak, closed it again. She swallowed.

“Did he… Did he say anything about…”

“About you? No. We didn't talk about _you_.”

She breathed a sigh of relief.

“What exactly are you worried he might have said?! What else do you need to explain to me, Harriet?! Sorry, not Harriet. _Anne_. That’s your name, right? Is it Anne? Or is Harriet? Or is it _neither_?”

“Stop it!”

“No! We went through _hell_ because of you! All that time, all those fights, the exhaustion, the starvation, all those times I swear to _Moltres_ I believed that I was about to die! And for what?!”

“To bring you here!” Harriet snapped back. Then she composed herself. “If we hadn’t gone through Ruby Forest we would never have made it here. We’d be halfway through the taigalands by now, if that! It wasn't for nothing! And you're one to talk! We went into Ruby Forest to rescue Dreigo and his friends, and now you’re fighting against them!”

“Because you never told me what they were really like! I didn't know what kind of Pokémon they were! I had never even _met_ them before!”

“Neither did I!”

“Oi!”

Harriet turned. Braze was halfway up the hill.

“The door’s opening!” he called. “Get your asses back down here!”

I stormed past her. Braze gave Harriet a cautious glance as he followed a few steps behind, between the two of us.

The Sea Guardian emblem glowed. The doors to the Goldenwater were opening at a crawl.

Fortis’ body flared with Bulk Up energy,  muscles twitching . I curled my arms. He nodded approval.

Agatha pinched me. “That’s body fat.”

“That is spirit,” Fortis said.

The doors scraped against the stone.

“I think I should stay outside,” Harriet said.

Avalon snorted. “Let me guess, stomach cramp?”

“Is something wrong?” Fortis asked.

“Just hear me out,” she said to the Skarsgard soldiers. “I think I’d be more useful to you out here. What if the Varias find us? What if they break in and attack you from behind?”

“There's only one way inside a Sea Guardian sanctum, and it’s hanging around my neck,” said Sapphire. “No one else is coming in here.”

“So what if they set up an ambush outside? What if you make it out of here and you have no energy left to fight? If any of them show up here, I can turn them around.”

“How exactly are you going to manage that?” said Scar.

“I used to be one of them.”

The Skarsgards exchanged looks. Understandably.

“I can tell them I saw you headed towards Grandé City. They’ll listen to me, I still have their sigil.”

“Are you sure they didn’t see you in Mahogany Village?” I said. “Because if they did-”

“Please just trust me,” she said. “Please, Alex; I know I’ve made mistakes and I know I’ve let you down but I really, _really_ need you to believe in me right now.”

I didn’t speak.

Fortis was the one who stepped up. “I’ll stay here with you. They don’t even know who I am, they won’t think twice about it. If they interrogate me for being a Ruby, I can tell them I have plenty of reasons not be happy about it. No offence,” he said to the group.

“None taken,” said Nate, “none of us are Ruby Pokémon anyway.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Harriet told him.

“You know the old saying, never leave an idiot in charge of an important job.”

“That’s not a saying.”

“I’m saying it.”

“Stay here if you want,” said Sapphire, not looking at them, watching impatiently as the doors crept open. “If anyone comes to you claiming to be a Sea Guardian, don’t tell them about us; tell them you’re travellers, sight-seers, runaways, anything. Don’t tell them you're worshippers, though; they’ll see through that on the spot.”

“And watch out for the wild Pokémon around here,” said Atlas, glancing behind him.

“I don’t know about this,” Coast said to the other Enderpyres, “we don’t know her that well, and she _was_ a Varia Pokémon.”

“Alex was a Varia,” said Amber.

“But we know Alex,” said Braze, looking to Harriet again. The Empoleon gave nothing away.

“If she’s going to stab us in the back I want her as far away from us as possible during a mission like this,” said Atlas.

“What if she brings them right to us?” said Sapphire.

“Asa will take care of it,” said Braze.

“What does that mean?” I asked.

I didn’t get an answer. The doors stopped with a _clunk_. The inside of the tower was gloomy and dank.

“Niamh,” said Sapphire, “the Fang.”

Niamh dug the pouch holding it out of the Arcanine’s fur. Sapphire gestured to Asa.

“If anything happens to me,” she said, “I’m trusting you to complete the mission. I know it should be me who… awakens it, but I’m not putting my own ego before something like this. If I die up there, I don't want it to be in vain.”

“Sapphire, _don’t_ ,” said Amber.

“I will guard it with my life,” Asa said, taking it from Niamh and trying it around his neck with his forepaws, “but I intend to get you _all_ to the top of this tower, _alive_.”

“No life left behind,” said Braze. They shared a look. Asa nodded.

Feather led us inside. Harriet and Fortis stayed where they were. I looked over my shoulder. Fortis gave a nod. Harriet just stood there for a moment. Then she raised her wing goodbye.

Coast and Markus shut the doors.

Darkness.

“There’s a sconce,” said Niamh, pointing to the wall, “but it’s the size of a ping-pong ball.”

“Try lighting it,” said Tobias.

“A torch that size won’t light two feet ahead of us,” said Atlas.

“It’s worth a shot.”

I lifted my tail to the sconce. The room came to life. The walls were decorated with carvings of water-type Pokémon splashing in gentle surf, thrashing in tidal waves. The ceiling was larimar tile lined with, you guessed it, gold. And if you would kindly lower your gaze, we present you with the sticky brown mud bath and stone steps most likely dug out of a cemetery.

We stood on a small platform, just about big enough for the twenty of us. At the other end of the room was a bronze plinth and statue of a round-headed Pokémon, with dark-blue fins and a plain face.

Atlas looked at the writing above the door. “Nuoh no Numachi,” he said. “The Marsh of Quagsire.”

Amber squinted. “There’s something in the mud…”

Atlas’ Flame Burst lit centre of the room for a brief moment. The shape was a Tyrantrum, solid silver, sunk into the mire. Its mouth hung open and its eyes back was arched.

“That’s not a statue,” said Khan, “is it?”

“Yveltal, that’s _disgusting_ …” said Tobias.

Braze put a hand on the grip of his sword. “This might mean a battle.”

“A battle with who exactly?” said Feather.

Some of them were looking into the marsh. Some were searching the walls, for a secret entrance, a hidden doorway somewhere. My eyes were fixed on the statue, with its head up high, arms at its sides, a calm expression on its plain face.

Avalon stepped onto the first stone. There was a flash of movement and a ball of silver shot out from the other end of the room; Amber’s Mystical Fire intercepted just in time.

Feather spread his wings. “Fliers in the air, Enders in front, intercept all attacks and destroy it if you can!”

He placed his fingers on the Y-shaped badge. Rainbow light lit up the room. His body changed. He let out another great roar. A ball of silver came speeding towards him; Inferno burned it to nothing.

Asa provided healing as he ran; instead of Oran Berries or Wonder Orbs, he would activate the jewels studded into the bangles around his legs and bulb, pink to restore HP, red to heal status conditions. Six Life Stars hung were studded into one of the golden bands around his bulb. They had the power to fully heal any Pokémon within its radius, even if they’d been knocked out. But they had to be used sparingly; if any of us were knocked out in battle after the Life Stars were gone, we would have no other way of being brought back. Reviver Seeds don't grow in the north.

The Quagsire statue pulled itself from its plinth. It raised its arms and fired another attack. It was silver water, but it looked a lot like a Mud Bomb. Coast destroyed it with Stone Edge. Atlas attacked directly with Heat Wave. No effect. The Quagsire focused on him. It fired Silver Bomb, missed by an inch.

We were running, but there was barely room for two of us on each step, and it was a jump from each one to the next for the shorties. Feather lifted Tobias and I onto his back; Agatha and Niamh rode on Sapphire. Atlas’ Flame Burst broke against the statue’s face. Nothing.

Asa gave off an orange glow; Atlas’ body lit up, and suddenly he was moving faster.

Atlas span and dodged another Bomb. It missed him by several inches. The Quagsire swam through the mud and leapt up onto the steps. Atlas fire again and again but the statue dodged yet again. It fired; Atlas beat his wings hard against the air. Braze’s Flamethrower destroyed it at the last second. Atlas hadn’t been able to dodge it. He was still too slow.

Nate and Bonnie were lagging. Tess and Baz pulled back just before a Silver Bomb splashed onto the path in front of them. Atlas swooped down and they jumped onto his back just as another Bomb hit the stones. Silver water splashed onto his tunic and chest plate and the Victory Hunters quickly ripped it off of him.

I looked down into the marsh. I could see him up close now. Arm clawing at nothing, tail flicking, mouth stretched open in a silent scream. The Tyrantrum’s eyes were half-screwed up, but for just a moment I could see the fury and terror inside them.

Another Bomb was coming. Atlas flipped over and dropped the smaller soldiers onto safe ground seconds before it went flying just above his head.

Markus, Coast, and Sapphire heaved the door open and we filed through. Amber waited.

“Atlas! Come on!”

A ball of silver formed between the statue’s hands. Atlas beat his wings hard against the air. The canvas flapped and snapped, but was only just inching him forward.

Atlas looked back over his shoulder.

The Quagsire fired. Atlas tried to turn. His prosthetic wings flailed uselessly against still air. The ball of silver hit him in the back and he dropped like a stone.

“Atlas!” Amber cried. “ _Atlas!_ ”

The skinny Charizard stumbled along the path. The water was spreading across his body, trickling into the tears in his wings and weighing him down.

“Close the door!” he cried.

The Quagsire was running towards us. It leapt nimbly over the Charizard’s incapacitated body. Scar’s Psycho Cut destroyed its Silver Bomb, and Khan’s Fire Blast blinded it for a moment. Feather grabbed Atlas by the hands and lifted him, dragging him inside.

Markus, Coast, and Braze slammed the door shut.

Atlas fell to his knees. The silver water was reaching up to his collarbone and down to his waist.

“Get this stuff off of me,” he said. There were tears in his eyes.

“I’ve got it, quit panicking,” said Coast, summoning a Razor Shell from her claws.

“Don’t!” Asa held her back with his vines. “If anyone else touches the silver water you’ll be stuck together!”

“Then we can burn it off!” said Amber. “Our attacks destroyed it before!”

“The silver water is melding with him now, if we destroy it, we destroy him. We can delay its spread by protecting the rest of the skin, but we can’t keep that up for long.”

“You have to do _something_!” Atlas pleaded.

Niamh’s Incinerate burned across his left wing and held it back, but still more kept creeping up up and down his back. Eventually she had to gasp for breath, and the flow continued. Atlas gave a strangled cry of despair.

Asa looked up at the spiralling staircase. “If we can get the Sapphire Fang to the top and into the Gyarados’ mouth it should free you. It’ll nullify the tower’s power. That’s our only hope.”

Atlas nodded. The silver water was creeping towards to his neck and tail.

Asa took his untouched hand in both vines. “I can you put you to sleep if you want. To help with the pain.”

Atlas shook his head. “No. Don’t. If that _thing_ ends up breaking through the door I have to be awake to try and stop it.”

“If you try to fight it alone you’ll die!” Braze said.

“Then go! If you’re still here when it breaks through you’ll die too! Then who’ll be left?!”

Asa helped Atlas into a comfortable position, one where he could still fire an attack if he needed to.

“I’m sorry,” the Bulbasaur said.

Bonnie bowed his head. “I humbly offer my services to defend Commander Grayson.”

“Did you just hear what he said?” Avalon’s voice was harsh. “ _You’ll die to_. Don’t be a hero, Bonnie.”

“Commander Byrne makes the decisions here, not you,” Braze said with a snarl.

Feather looked between him and the Houndour. “Sir Grant, you have my permission to remain with Commander Grayson.” He didn’t sound happy about it.

“Then I’m staying too,” said Nate.

“Nate!” Avalon exclaimed.

“Permission granted, Sir Gatwick,” said Feather.

“Moltres, I’ve become so slow,” Atlas said, trying and failing to shift his torn wings. “I’m sorry… I failed-”

“Your prosthetics failed,” said Markus. “You're the fastest Charizard on the force, everybody knows that; it's why we all tease you for being too skinny!”

“You’re just not flying like a Charizard,” said Braze.

Atlas looked at the silver spreading across his wingspan. “Looks like I’m not flying like anything anymore.”

Feather got down on one knee beside him. “Remember what we talked about. When all this is over, we’ll find you a prosthetist, a proper one, and we’ll get you a _real_ set of wings. You’ll fly just like you did before, or even better, and you’ll prove it when you lap Braze and I in training again! Leave the other floors to us. You can rest now.”

_Bang. Bang. Bang._ The door shook. _Bang. Bang. Bang._

“Will do.”

I lit the sconce. The walls were decorated with water-types, hunting or scavenging, fighting over a haul; parents feeding children. The floor was a still lake with a wooden bridge snaking around to the far door. The ceiling was blue flourite.

“Flowsel no Mizūmi,” Asa read out, as Atlas no longer could, “the Lake of Floatzel.”

The Floatzel statue was still, but we were anticipating that flash of silver. None of us wanted to step off the platform.

“What _are_ those things?” said Agatha.

“Guardsmon,” said Braze, “and damn good ones, it looks like.”

“That thing is not a Pokémon,” said Tess.

“Acts enough like one not to make a difference.”

Feather offered a hand to Tobias and I.“Here, you can both ride on my back.”

“No,” said Braze, “no more carrying. We almost lost three Pokémon back there instead of one.”

Amber charged a fire-type attack and stepped onto the bridge. The statue raised its head. Silver water streamed from the tip of its nose and flowed down past its tails and over the plinth. There was a scarlet flash, and Mystical Fire swallowed it.

The flying Pokémon took to the air, and the rest of us raced across the bridge. It was thin, and had been covered in lather to preserve the wood; we were dangerously close to slipping at any moment.

“Blind it!” Braze ordered. “Keep it distracted, intercept its every move! And for fuck’s sake _keep away from the water_!”

I looked down over the edge. They were clearer now, in the silver-tinted lake: a Scrafty, covering their face with their hands, their trouser-skin tangled around their legs.

Amber and Sapphire ran ahead, and their Will-O-Wisps blinded the statue. It raced through the water, silver water jetting around it. It jumped out of the lake and the two fire-types pulled back at the last second. The Floatzel soared over the bridge and _splashed_ back down into the water.

Amber and Sapphire prowled across the lathered wood, watching closely, while the rest of us followed the bridge as it snaked across the lake. The Floatzel was there one moment, gone the other. Several times it tried to surface but Mystical Fire or Will-O-Wisp kept it at bay. Then it was gone again. And it stayed gone. And it stayed gone just, _just_ long enough for Amber and Sapphire to turn their attentions to us.

Then Silver Jet burst of the water.

We were right in front of it.

It came rushing towards Niamh. She tried to run but slipped on the lather and landed on her stomach. Sapphire’s Extreme Speed reached the Pansear just in time; she grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and pulled her away. The Floatzel dived back down into the water.

Amber growled in anger. Rings of fire hit the lake’s surface. The Ninetales tried to track the statue as it swam under the bridge but she quickly lost sight of it.

Silver Jet broke the surface behind her; Sapphire jumped back just in time to be out of the way when the Floatzel leapt up and grabbed Amber by the leg. There was one horrifying second where the two fire-types met eyes. Then she was dragged down into the water.

“ _Amber!_ ”

Extreme Speed got her close enough in time to grab the Ninetales by the scruff of her neck. The Floatzel had both arms around her thighs. Feather used Inferno but it was too close; their Flash Fire abilities absorbed it.

Sapphire gave a muffled howl as she pulled her partner up onto the bridge. Silver water spread across the wood and slipped through the planks. It also spread across Amber’s back and up to her tails. Interestingly, the Floatzel hadn’t touched them, despite the easy grab.

We were at the doors. Markus and Coast pushed.

“We have to help them!” I said.

Avalon grabbed me by the shoulder before I could run after them.

“Don't get in their way!” she snapped. “Didn’t you learn anything from that sparring match? _Don't be a hero, Alex!_ ”

Feather was holding Amber up and Tess and Art pushed Sapphire along. The Floatzel ran along the bridge but Baz’s Octazooka and Niamh’s Flame Burst blinded it long enough for Braze to get close to send it flying over the edge with Flare Blitz. He raised his shield to block the splashback, then tossed it to the bridge.

Amber and Sapphire collapsed through the doors. The Floatzel kept running, jumping and dodging all of our attacks; no amount of damage we were capable of was going to keep it down. It just kept running, like it didn’t feel anything at all. But of course it didn't feel anything. It was a statue.

We ran in. Markus and Coast pushed at the door; the Floatzel stuck its nose in right before it shut. It was pushing back with enough force to slip a leg through. Braze roared and brought his foot down on the statue’s head. It dug into teeth into him but he kept pushing. Feather pulled him away and the door shut with a _click_.

Markus took Sapphire by the legs and Feather held Amber’s neck as gently as he could. They were connected by the Arcanine’s front-right knee and the Ninetales’ back-left thigh. The silver water was still spreading, and there was nothing we could do to stop it.

“I’m sorry,” the Arcanine said through tears.

“Sapphire, don’t,” Amber said softly.

“I should have protected you, this is all my fault!”

“No, Sapphire, it's mine.” A small smile. “I should have known you’d do something reckless like that.”

She forced a smile too. “That does sound like me.”

“It’s no use,” said Markus, who was now holding on by the tips of his fingers, “they’re not coming apart.”

“We can’t leave them alone here,” said Coast. “Atlas was one story, but there’s no way they’ll be able to defend themselves like this.”

_Bang bang bang bang bang._

“Baz and I will stay with them,” said Tess.

Feather frowned. He looked like he wanted to object, but he didn’t say anything.

“You can count on us,” Baz said. “But if we end up in the same position, don’t expect _me_ to do anything heroic.”

“Honey, if I’ve been hit, you are _looong_ gone.”

“Very reassuring, thank you both,” said Avalon.

The mural on the next floor was different; instead of exclusively depicting water-type Pokémon, it showed the Eeveelutions, every kind in existence. I had never even some of them seen before, and Asa had to confirm for me that they were all genuine.

The floor was cobblestones run through with rivulets of water, and cutting across it was a winding river. The ceiling was tourmaline.

“Showās no Kawa,” said Asa, “the River of Vaporeon.”

The Vaporeon’s tail snaked around its legs. Its face was smug, taunting.

The antennae of a Flygon poked out of the river.

“They activate as soon as someone steps off the platform,” said Coast, “but it seems like they target whoever attacks them first.”

“You may be right about them acting like real Pokémon,” said Asa.

“I suppose it’s my turn now, isn’t it?”

The Barbaracle took the first step. Her Stone Edge was already charged and hit the statue before it had even leapt from its plinth. Coast was already some way across the floor when she countered the first Water Gun-like attack.

We had to be careful of the water between the stones. We didn’t know what was in them, but we had an idea. That meant one wrong step…

Which in turn meant we were taking longer to cross. Avalon was at the very back, tip-toeing across the floor.

Stone Edge moved in a circle around the Vaporeon, hemming it in on all sides.

“That’s amazing!” I said.

“She calls that Stone Edge Control,” said Agatha. “It’ll keep us safe until-”

Until the Vaporeon charged right through anyway. It hounded Coast with Silver Gun, pushing her back and goading her into attacking until Stone Edge ran out of Power Points.

Coast struck it across the face with Razor Shell. The statue span and slapped her in the face with its tail, then kicked out with its back legs. Coast grabbed its tail and span and tossed it. It landed a couple of feet away. Now she stood between it and us.

The Vaporeon fired Silver Gun. Scar’s Razor Wind, cleanly timed, destroyed it.

“ _Get_ _back!_ ” Coast roared.

Silver Gun hit her shield; she tossed it to the floor. The statue fired again. She dodged. The statue swept its tail across her legs. Coast fells backwards, caught herself on one of the stones with her claw, flipped, landed safely on her feet. So the statue tackled. And her foot slipped into the river.

She gave an outraged roar and threw the statue as hard as she could; it landed on its feet only five feet away. The Vaporeon fired Silver Gun. She blocked with Razor Shell but off water splashed onto her hip and ran down to join the silver creeping up her leg. Coast tried to move, but she was stuck to the ground.

We were almost at the door. The Vaporeon raced after us. Silver Gun struck Niamh in the back.

“Niamh!” Scar cried.

The Pansear looked up as the silver covered her. She caught the Absol’s eye; and instead of fear, or rage, or panic, Niamh only looked touched. I’m not really sure why. But then again, I don’t really know these Pokémon, do I?

But here they were, dying right in front of me.

We were inches from the door. Avalon was a few feet behind. She grabbed an Iron Thorn and threw it; it bounded off the Vaporeon’s shoulder. The statue turned on her.

She cloaked herself in fire and charged. The statue fired Silver Gun, she dodged. She ran to Niamh’s side and grabbed her by the hands. Flame Charge was protecting her from the water, but a direct hit would have finished her. And it would have, if Art’s Mirror Shot hadn’t blinded it at the last second. Feather liftedup and carried her inside.

“Art, stop!” Avalon cried.

Art fired Zap Cannon. The Vaporeon withstood the blow, unconcerned. Silver Gun hit them in the left magnet. Niamh’s Flame Burst hit the Vaporeon in the face and Asa’s Vine Whip grabbed the Magnemite and pulled them inside.

Coast’s back was to us. As Markus and Braze pushed the door shut, she raised her claw. Two claws out, a peace sign. The doors shut with another _click_.

_Bang._

Avalon kneeled down in front of Niamh and reached her paw out. Braze slapped it away.

“You know better than to let yourself be incapacitated too. We’re three more soldiers down, Avalon.”

“She’s in pain!”

“I know,” he said, with a little bit more sympathy. “I know.”

Niamh curled up into a ball. Art, already a ball, lay flat on their back. Avalon screwed her up her face to fight back tears.

“I won't let you die here,” she said. “I promise.”

I lit the sconce. Four islands, one in each corner and a larger one in the centre, connected by small earthen paths. Lathered grass, preserved against time, made the islands a cheerful green. Kyanite made the ceiling. The walls were decorated with all different of Pokémon, but all massive, vicious, and imposing. All had the same swirling symbol above their heads.

On the centre island was a Blastoise. The same symbol had been cut into the ground at its feet.

“Kamex no Shima, the Island of Blastoise.”

On the left far island was a silver Honchkrow propped up on his torso, wings spread wide, head high, legs stretched out behind him. What was strange was that he had been placed on the door was on the right end of the room. And that he was placed so neatly on that far island, balancing upright on their stomach, facing towards the Blastoise. Like a trophy.

Tobias was deathly pale. I put my hand on his arm.

“You hanging in there?” asked Scar.

“Yeah, yeah,” he said, “I’m fine. It’s just a lot to take in.”

Feather was weighing his options. If we took separate paths, we’d be more vulnerable. But if we all went together, the Blastoise could target all of us at once.

Markus cracked his knuckles. “Keep ‘em separate, Birdie. Thing’s got three cannons, but I can keep two of ‘em occupied. Even if I go down it won’t have time to get to all of you.”

“I only see two cannons,” said Scar.

“It’s obviously about to change forms, Scar,” said Tess. “The writing is literally on the wall.”

Markus slammed his fist into his palm. “I’m about to change that thing’s form into a scrap of junk, just you wait.”

“You’re taking it head-on?!” said Feather.

“We’ve lost Atlas, we’ve lost Amber, we’ve lost Sapphire, and we've just lost Coast,” Braze said, “we are _not_ sacrificing _you_ as well.”

“We lost those three and barely made it out _alive_ ,” said Avalon, “face it, we’re not getting through here without someone else going down too.”

“Are you offering?”

“For the love of Moltres!” said Markus. “We don’t have _time_ for this! Sir, do I have your permission to proceed?”

“Markus-”

“Do I have your permission, Commander Byrne?”

Feather looked pained. But what choice did he have? “Proceed, Commander Chekovski.”

The Emboar took off down the left path. Feather and Braze spread their wings and shot into the air. The rest of us split.

The statue came to life with heavy, clunky movements; it lowered its pack and fired a Hydro Pump-like attack. Markus used his mechanical arm to cling to a sconce on the wall and swing himself over. The statue fired again; Braze’s Fire Blast destroyed it.

Markus struck the Blastoise with Hammer Arm. The blow turned its head and forced it back a couple of inches. Then a bright rainbow glow surrounded it. Its body melted into a molten liquid and rebuild its, from its face, to its arms, to its legs, to its shell, to its cannons.Its cannons merged into one on top of its back, two more grew from its arms. The rainbow symbol lit up the room and burned inside the statue’s right eye. The statue stomped its feet and curled its arms and pumped its cannons.

“Come on then! Enough showing off!” Markus wasn't deterred, but there was more agitation in his voice.

The Mega Blastoise fired Silver Cannon from its back. Feather’s Flamethrower blocked it. Khan’s Fire Blast and Asa’s Solar Beam countered the cannons on either side.

A double Hammer Arm pushed the statue back, but it didn’t flinched. It punched Markus in the chest and he skidded back over the lathered grass.

We had to climb up onto the middle island to get through. Silver Pump fired on all cylinders, and Silver water splashed everywhere. Khan ripped the helmet from Scar’s head when a drop had hit her from behind.

Markus retaliated with Heat Crash, inching the statue across the lathered grass. Silver Pump fired again. Braze ordered us to pull back; we would need to fly around the statue if we wanted to make it past. Tobias and I climbed up on Feather’s back.

The statue brought its fist down. Markus caught it in his own. It punched again, Markus caught the other arm. All three cannons were pointed away from us. We had eyes on the door.

Markus was being forced back closer and closer to the island's edge. He roared, grabbed the statue around the waist, and dragged it down into the water. _Splash._

Braze howled in frustration. He grabbed the Emboar by the tail, the only placed left untouched by the silver water, and dragged him along. Markus couldn't help. The silver water was creeping up to his shoulders.

We heaved against the door and managed to force it open. We jumped out of the way as Braze swooped in. Markus was dropped to the floor while the Charizard crashed head-first into the stairs. The Mega Blastoise got to its feet and three Silver Cannons were pointed at us. Feather, Asa, and Khan countered again. Flecks of silver splattered on the ground. Avalon gave an infuriated growl as she ripped the now useless Nyarth-te from her paws. We slammed the doors shut.

_Bang_. More distance, from the middle of the room, like someone slamming their foot against the ground. _Bang._

“Leave me here,” Markus said as the silver water trickled down towards his mouth, “you have to go on. You have to live!”

“You’re going to be okay, Markus,” said Asa, “you’re not going to die here.”

“Can you know that for certain?” he choked out of a mouth that was already have-closed.

“I have to believe that. Because I’m not leaving this terrible place unless it’s true.”

“Okay. I’ll wait,” he said, his eyes drooping, “I’ll wait.”

“I’ll stay here with you,” said Agatha.

Markus closed his eyes and nodded. “Thank you.”

_Stomp, stomp, stomp, stomp._

Braze got to his feet and lead us on up the staircase. Asa wished Agatha luck then sprinted up the stairs to catch up.

“Is there really nothing you can do about the silver water?” Khan asked, glancing over his shoulder.

“What do you think, _Professor_?” said Braze. “Those are his friends back there, if he _could_ do something about it he _would_ do something about it.”

“It’s quite all right, Commander Winters,” Asa said patiently, “I understand his frustration. Truly,” he said to Khan, “I would give anything for the means to have helped them. But my powers only affect the cells of living things; muscle strength, power boosts, transitioning Pokémon-”

“Brain cells,” I cut in.

Asa went silent.

Ice covered the floor and stretched up over the walls; through gaps in the frost we could see water-types standing on top of tall glaciers overlooking a foaming ocean. A Golduck stood with their arms behind their back and watched great chunks of ice fall into the sea. Waves rose up to swallow the arctic floor.

The ceiling was lapis lazuli. Near the centre of the floor, a Goodra lay on her back, arms wrapped around herself. On the other side of the room was the bronze statue, chin high, regal, composed.

“Rapras no Rinku, the Rink of Lapras.”

Tobias peered over the edge of the semicircle. I put a hand on his shoulder to steady him. He tapped the floor with a gloved finger.

“It’s a rink!” he said.

Avalon gave a slow clap.

“How thick?” asked Braze.

“I can't tell,” Tobias said, “it’s too solid.”

I looked up. The Lapras sat there, head held high, fins at its sides, face calm and regal.

Waiting for us.

And between the eight of us we now had to decide which one the statue would target first.

To my horror, it was Feather who stepped up first.

Braze held up a hand to stop him.

“You know how this works, Byrne,” he said.

With that Feather seemed to shut down. Both of them looked uncomfortable. But neither of them said a word, and Braze barged ahead of him and stepped over the edge.

The ice creaked under his foot. The statue glowed.

His wings snapped out and he shot into the air. Fire Blast countered Silver Brine. Braze soared through the air, spinning and dodging the Lapras’ attacks with ease.

I stepped onto the ice, slipped, slid all the way on my back to hit the wall. Tobias ran after me, slipped, bumped head-first into me. Khan slid across the ice to the wall and helped us to our feet.

Braze flew alongside Feather. His Fire Blast cut through Silver Brine and Feather’s Flamethrower blinded the statue.

Avalon and Scar tried to cling on but they couldn’t control their footing either. Khan caught them just before they crashed into us.

The statue pulled itself from its plinth and slid over the ice; it was fast, agile, and in full control of its movements.

“Get off!”

Avalon shoved Scar out of the way and her horn jabbed into Khan’s side, he pulled away and stepped on Avalon’s foot. I shuffled out from under Tobias and went sliding to the far corner of the wall. I tried to get to my feet but slipped and went sliding and knocked Scar off course.

The Lapras fired in our direction, and we combined our attacks to counter. Tobias used Ice Beam. From the pale-blue glow, shapes appeared on the floor.

“It’s a map!” I said. “Tobias, use Ice Beam again!”

Tobias fired into the air. There it was again!

Khan lifted him up and placed him in front. Tobias lit the way. The Lapras fired a Silver Brine directly at him. Khan’s Fire Blast cut through it.

Feather and Braze worked to keep the statue’s attention away from us. We followed the path in the ice: Up, left, down, left, up, right, right, up, up, right, down, right.

The path to the door lit up. The Lapras’ head snapped around. Its eyes were wide. It slid forward, pushing past the two Charizard. It wasn’t stopping.

The Booster Badge glowed.

Then Feather did something heroic. He threw himself in front of the statue, arms up to grab it. The statue glowed; a Silver Brine was coming.

“ _Feather!_ ”

The Booster Badge came to life. But instead of Feather glowing and burning and lighting up the room, it was Braze. He gave a deep, rumbling roar as his body caught fire. The flames swirled around him, larger and larger, until he crashed in the Lapras’ back and a dome of fire exploded around it. Flare Blitz became Inferno Overdrive.

We slid down the ice towards the exit.

The Lapras slammed its fins against the ground. The rink shook and the ice cracked, then instantly reformed. I slipped and slid away form the path, five feet to its left, five feet away from the Lapras.

Something hit me in the back and I went flying over the ice. Khan caught me and lifted him to my feet. The Lapras fired again.

And it struck him, across the torso, across the legs, across the chest.

Feather grabbed Braze by the horns and dragged him away. The silver water was creeping up his side and down to his knees. Asa’s Solar Beam blinded the statue while the rest of us strained against the door.

Khan’s feet slipped agains the stone. Avalon and Scar and Tobias and I pushed as hard as we can until our arms were shaking and our breath was gone. Feather rammed his shoulder against the door, once, twice, three times, until itwas wide enough for us to slip through.

The door was open by only an inch when a bronze horn poked through to prop it open. Our feet slipped against the stone as we pushed, but Braze stepped into the spreading puddle on the floor and grabbed the Lapras’ head in his hands and pushed it away. The door shut with a _click._

_BANG!_

Braze lost his balance. Feather held his arms out but couldn’t get close enough without stepping into the puddle. Braze fell to his hands and knees and the silver water crept up his arms and splashed onto his neck and chin.

“Are you just going to stand there and watch me die?!” he rasped. “Get your fucking asses up those stairs before I finished you off myself!”

_BANG!_

“You won’t be able to fight that statue like this,” Feather said, “I’ll stay-”

“ _No!_ ” Braze roared. “You're the last one of us left! Don’t you dare pity me now, Byrne!”

“I’ll stay with him,” said Scar. “It’s not like you’ll need me up there, and someone-” _BANG!_ “someone should be with him.”

No one wanted to agree with her. The silver water spread across Braze’s lower lip.

“Get out!” he yelled at us. _BANG!_ “ _GO!_ ”

Avalon led the way up the stairs. Scar stayed put. Their eyes met, and they nodded to each other. We followed the spiral of the staircase and within moments both Braze and Scar lost from view.

_BANG!_

The last room was plain. Pale grey-blue floor, sea jasper ceiling. The wall behind us displayed one single Pokémon, alone amongst crashing waves and stormy clouds. Barely a foot from the platform, a Weavile stared up at the ceiling, arms at their sides, feathers struck to their body, a look of pure paralysed horror on their face. The room was deathly still.

“Sora no Rugia,” said Asa. “The Sky of Lugia.”

The statue of the Legendary Pokémon stood regal upon its plinth; chin raised, wings tucked in, head inches from the ceiling, eyes were fixed on the platform we stood on.

Feather made to step onto the floor but I held out my hand.

“Alex?”

“Don’t do it.”

“Sure we can’t stand here forever, can we?” he said, with a light-hearted chuckle.

“It’ll kill you!”

“Which of us would you rather have die instead?” asked Avalon.

Feather gave me a patient smile. “I think I’ve already overstayed my welcome here.”

“No! There has to be some other way!”

“We lost fourteen Pokémon back there and you’re only just thinking of this now?” said the Quilava.

“Leave it, Avalon,” said Feather. He got down on one knee in front of me. “There is no other way. Believe me if there was we would have tried anything. _Anything_. But there isn’t. We have no idea how to stop those things. We don’t even know what they are! Even Sapphire didn’t know! But we _do_ know a way around them, we know they can be distracted, or blinded, or moved physically. Except it takes an elite soldier to keep it distracted long enough. Not to blow my own horn.” Another laughed.

I looked from him, to Asa, back to him again.

“You knew this would happen?” I asked.

“I’m afraid so,” Feather said.

“This was a suicide mission!”

For a brief moment, my cousin let genuine sadness slip onto his face. “We’re at war, Alex. Every mission is a suicide mission.”

“You brought me here to watch you _die_.”

“You were brought here to bring a Pokémon back to life.”

He stood, spread his wings. That’s when I saw that his tail was dangling over the edge of the brown stone onto the blue-grey floor.

“And if the Giant gets another shot at life, why not me?” He was looking at Asa.

“We have no way of knowing what will happen,” the Bulbasaur said solemnly.

“Exactly,” said the Mega Pokémon, flicking his spiked tail, “we don’t.”

And he shot into the sky.

The Lugia stepped off the platform and spread its wings. Its song called out to us from the walls.

Feather used Inferno. The statue moved its head and the attack missed.

We took off at a run.

The statue’s eyes moved from Feather to us and back again. Its eyes radiated a messy crimson glow. A ball of silver formed at its mouth and exploded against the ceiling. Silver storm clouds spread across the room, turning it from grey-blue to the colour of a thunderstorm.

Rain.

I must have known what was about to happen. I breathed in as deep as I could and summoned a Fire Spin. Khan held us all close and the fire surrounded us. Tobias grit his teeth against the heat. The Silver Rain evaporated around us.

“Alex,” said the Professor, “the cloak!”

I handed it to him and he held it over our heads. When the fire died the raindrops stuck to the fabric and started to spread. We didn’t have long.

Feather had engulfed himself in flames. Flare Blitz tore through the clouds, evaporating them. They were silver water, and the fire could destroy them. But it couldn’t stop the Lugia’s wing slapping him out of the air to bang against the wall. The rain disappeared and Feather fired Inferno but the Lugia ducked and snapped out with its beak, grabbed him by the tail, tossed him across the room. Feather flapped his wings hard and caught himself.

We ran, huddled together, with Tobias was clearing a path for us with his Brine attack. I was out of breath already from the Fire Spin; Avalon grabbed me by the arm and pulled me along while Khan and Asa held up the cape.

The statue looked down at us. Its eyes glowed crimson, and another ball of silver shot into the sky to morph into a raincloud.

Flare Blitz cut through the rain. The Lugia balled up its wing and punched Feather in the face. The Charizard rolled across the ground. Rain dripped onto his helmet, his tail guard, his chest plate. It ran through the chainmail and trailed across his skin. There was a bright white glow tinted with orange, and Feather’s body broke apart and pieced itself back together. His armour came apart then shaped itself around him.

But he got to his feet and flapped his wings and lifted himself back into the air. He ripped the Badge from his hat.

“Alex!” he called, holding it up to me.

He summoned a Flamethrower, burning his hand, but the Badge came flying towards me. Asa’s Vine Whipped out and snatched it out of the air. I tucked it away safely in my bag. Before Feather could turn back around, the Lugia whacked him away with its tail.

The door was close.

The Lugia grabbed the cape. Flare Blitz rammed into its arm. Khan and Asa yanked the cape free, but it ripped a huge tear down the middle. A drop fell onto Avalon’s helmet.

The Lugia rammed its head into Feather’s stomach and slammed him into the ground.

We reached the door. We pushed as hard as we could but it was moving inch-by-painful-inch, and that was mostly thanks to Khan.

The Lugia turned its attention on us. Khan summoned an Enchanted Giga Impact. Tobias called out for him but he was already gone. He jumped, pushed off the statue’s knee; it tried to grab him but missed and he bounced off its arm to whack it in the face with his tail.

The Lugia grabbed his tail in its beak.

The door wasn’t moving.

Feather’s Inferno hit it in the face.

The door wasn’t moving.

Khan pulled himself free and let off a Fire Blast as he fell.

The door wasn’t moving.

But still Silver Rain dripped onto his face.

“ _Professor!_ ” Tobias called. “ _Come back!_ ”

Avalon Flame Charged into the door. It opened another inch. Just enough.

In those last few seconds I saw Feather, on his feet in the middle of the room. The Silver Rain kept falling but it just bounced off him onto the floor. He was completely silver now, head-to-toe-to-tail. His flame had died, but one last desperate flare had formed a sharp point at the tip. Just the fire inside him, screaming to survive.

_Bang, bang, bang._

“ _Close the door now!_ ” Avalon barked at us.

Our feet slipped on the stone and the silver water on Khan’s body smeared onto the doorframe. He ripped off his chainmail but the silver was still on his face, creeping towards his eyes. We pushed at the door. Lugia’s song rang. The statue was surrounded by a crimson red glow as it tried to get its head through.

There was a sound like rushing wind as a four-hoofed, horned creature made of dark-blue lit up the staircase; Khan charged and the creature’s horns rammed into the Lugia’s eyes. It gave a primal howl and Khan forced it back through the gap.

The door shut with a _click_.

The song echoed through the stone.

Khan stumbled over to one of the steps. He sat wedged against the wall to give us space.

Tobias’ hands hovered above his own face. “Is he… Is he going to be okay?”

Asa’s face was grim. “We don’t know, Tobias.”

“You have to do something!”

“The best chance we have is to get to the top and see if the Sapphire Fang works.”

“But what if it doesn’t?!”

“Tobias,” Khan said, as the silver water closed over his right eye, “listen to me. If you manage to get to the top of this godforsaken tower one of two things will happen: either Asa’s theory works out, or it doesn’t. But no matter what the outcome is it’s a hell of a lot more likely that this will go in your favour if you're not just standing here and _panicking_.”

“How do you expect me not to panic?!” Tobias demanded, tears welling. “How am I supposed to not panic when this is happening to you?!”

“This is happening to me,” Khan answered, “and I’m not panicking.”

_Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang._

Asa untied the pouch around his neck. He turned my hand over and placed the Sapphire Fang in my palm.

“You know what to do with this.”

“You’re not coming?!” I said.

“I would be of no use to you,” Asa said, faking a smile, “my vines can only reach a few feet into the air!”

“You’re our most powerful Pokémon!” I said. “And you know magic, you have to-”

“We have moments at best before the statue breaks through that door,” he spoke quickly, “in this space I can counter its attacks, and I can probably force it back for a few minutes with my Solar Beam.”

“I thought your magic only worked on Pokémon’s cells,” said Khan.

“That includes my own. Believe me, I’m strong enough to do this. You four are not.”

_Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang._

“With Professor Buckeye’s help I can buy you some time,” he continued, “but please, _please_ hurry.”

“You can call me Khan,” the Garchomp said, “if you feel so inclined.”

“If you’re staying here than I’m staying with you,” said Tobias.

“And I’m not leaving Tobias,” I added.

“You’re more useful to us upstairs,” Avalon said, already on her way up, “especially you, Tobias. That thing’s suppose to be over eighty feet tall and neither Alex nor I have any method of vertical movement.”

“So how am I supposed to help?” Tobias asked.

“You know Rapid Spin, right? You should be able to get at least ten feet into the air.

He could? I looked at him. He shrugged.

“I can try,” he said, “but I’m really not that accurate. If I was I could have saved us both a lot of trouble…”

“Well then you’ll just have to learn to be accurate.” She waved us on. “Come on, we don’t have all day.”

Tobias didn’t budge.

_Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang._

“Oh, don’t be thick,” Avalon said. “If you care so much about keeping him safe than you should be putting that effort into _saving_ him.”

“Is that even possible?”

“Not like this!”

_Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang._

“I don't think he’s in any condition to work right now,” said Khan.

“Well I need him in a state to work. Don’t think I care about the Pokémon waiting for us down there any less than you care about your friends. At least I care enough to keep my act together and try to do something about it.”

Tobias hit her in the back with Water Gun.

“Tobias!” said Khan.

“Who the hell do you think you are?!” Tobias yelled. “Who the hell are you to hell me how much I care about my friends?! You think you care as much as I do?! You don’t look like you care _at all_!”

Asa silently pleaded with Avalon to stay calm. She held up her paws in a gesture of peace and approached him. Then she hit him in the torso with Return, a kick that sent off pink heart-shaped sparks. He slammed against the wall. Avalon carried on up the stairs.

The door was jammed. That or it was too heavy for a Charmander, a Squirtle, and a Quilava to push open without a struggle.

“I never thought I’d say this,” Avalon said with a grunt, “but I wish the Enderpyres were here. No offence,” she said to me.

I was leaning my arms against the door. Suddenly they went limp.

“Alex?” said Tobias.

“It's my fault.”

“Alex, don’t-”

“How could I have been so stupid?!” I banged my fist against the door. It didn’t budge. I opened my bag, and there was the Booster Badge, red-and-yellow and shiny, but dormant, lightless.

“If I hadn’t used the Booster Badge to protect Feather he would have been frozen by the Lapras instead of by the Lugia. He might have _made it_.”

“And Braze would have died instead,” Avalon said.

“We don’t know that he’s-” Tobias began.

“Feather was my cousin!” I retorted.

“So what?!” Avalon snapped back. “So fucking _what_?! That doesn't make his life any more valuable than Braze’s, or Markus’, or Agatha’s, or Niamh’s! _You_ don’t get to decide who's life is worth more, _you_ of all _Pokémon_ do not get to decide that!"

“He isn't saying that!” said Tobias. “How cold are you?! He has a right to be upset, for the love of Xerneas!”

“He gets to feel however he damn well pleases, but he doesn't get to stand here and declare that we wishes Braze had died instead. I’m not a fan of that Charizard myself but that doesn’t mean his life was more valuable. Everyone is someone’s loved one, Alex, and everyone is someone’s worse enemy. We’re soldiers. We protect _everyone_. How we feel about them doesn’t matter in the end. All that matters is protecting as many lives as possible, wherever we can.”

She slammed both paws against the doors. Pink hearts burst into the air. The door opened a crack, wide enough for us to squeeze through.

“So let's go save lives.”

The Gyarados of Gold. A Giant, preserved for eternity on a gargantuan plinth, surrounded by golden Magikarp heads sticking out of the wall. The mural that took up the whole dome depicted hundreds of Pokémon, water-types in front and assorted others at the back, all bowing down to Lugia, who had one foot triumphantly on top of a raging Gyarados, pinning them to the ground. This time the Atrocious Pokémon was lying on its side, defenceless, disarmed, defeated.

The statue was gold from crown-to-tail, except for its three sapphire teeth. Its body was twisted around, tail end hiked up, head turned to the sky in a furious roar. Its fins and whiskers were trailing behind its face, and its eyes were narrow, tight with anger, and shone just a little bit brighter than the rest of its body. It almost looked like tears welling up. It made its roar look more like a scream.

It was raised up on a low plinth. More fitting for a war hero than a prisoner, I think. It stood around one hundred feet tall and two hundred feet long, with its body contorted the way it was. The dome was large enough to fit a miniature army, but the Gyarados took up almost all of it.

“It’s even bigger than Poseidon…” I said.

“Poseidon?” said Avalon.

“A Giant Gyarados we battled in the south.”

Tobias looked at me.

“… Ran from in the south,” I corrected.

Avalon blinked. “You met a Giant Gyarados? A live one?”

I shrugged. “He's not the only Giant we've met.”

“But a Gyarados? A real Giant Gyarados?”

“You can keep saying it, but it won’t make it any less true.”

Avalon looked up at the statue's face.

She swallowed. “All right. All we have to do now is place it inside the thing’s mouth. I would have had one of the fliers just hold on to it, but since we’re settling for the Squirtle, we’re just going to have to improvise.”

“We've been over the plan,” I said, “we don't need to add the condescending tone.”

“Are you going to do your job or not, Alex?”

I made to approach the statue. Tobias put a hand on my arm.

“I don’t think we should do this,” he said suddenly.

“Tobias…”

He was staring at it, unmoving, clutching my arm.

Avalon put a paw to her temple. “I knew this would happen. I _told_ them this was too much for a new recruit.” She waved me forward. “Come on, don’t worry about it. You and I will find some way up there.”

But I didn't move either.

Avalon went cold.

“Fine. _Fine._ Be a coward. Hide behind our shields then shy away when you're asked to draw your sword. Stand there and do _nothing_.” She snatched the Sapphire Fang out of my hand. “I don’t you need to hold my paw anymore, Alex! I’ll do it _godsdamned self, just like I did when you abandoned_ \- agh, aaaagh.”

“Avalon?” I said.

“Aaaaaagh!” She put both paws to her head. “Aaaaah, _aaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!_ ”

“Avalon!”

We ran to her side.

“Get away!” she screamed. “Get away from me!”

She tossed the Sapphire Fang across the room. She bent over double, clutching her head so hard that we could see the outline of her skull.

“ _Get away!_ ”

“What’s wrong?!” I said. “Tell us!”

“Alex,” said Tobias, “ _look_.”

Smoky-oil. Tobias and I watched in frozen terror as Avalon struggled helplessly against her own body. It started spewing the stuff from her flame, then from her mouth, her ears, her eyes.

“ _Get ooooooooouAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!”_

The oily-smoke puffed out in great big clouds. A steady stream rose to the ceiling. The room turned gloomy and dark. Avalon fell to her knees, panting.

“Avalon?” I said.

Her head shot up. Her eyes were wide and had turned a burning, bloody red.

A smile.

“Alex.”

Her voice had changed dramatically; it was still _her_ voice, but it sounded nothing like her.

“Avalon, what’s happened to you?”

The smile widened. She got to her feet.

“Alex.”

She stared at me for a moment, then at Tobias. I instinctively stepped in front of him. Laughter.

“I see you’ve found your new Prometheus.”

Tobias’s eyes narrowed. “Who are you? You, the Pokémon inside Avalon?”

The Quilava’s eyes landed on mine. I said nothing.

“Dreigo told me you didn’t remember. I wasn’t entirely certain that he wasn’t making it up.”

Dreigo.

My hand went to the handle of my sword.

“My name is Zweil Varia, Prince Regent of Itori. That’s “your grace” to the two of you.”

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

“You made my brother cry.”

I was dumbfounded for a moment. “Dreigo?”

“ _Dei!_ ” he suddenly roared. “Dei, our younger brother! You made him cry! When he found out you’d turned your back on us he wept the whole night! He _worshipped_ you! You were his _hero_! You were his _friend_!”

“ _That's_ what this is about?”

“No.”

A wingless, whiskered dragon of black energy formed between Avalon’s paws and burst free to strike me in the chest. I slid across the floor and fell to one knee; Tobias helped me to my feet.

“I’m here for the Fang. But I’m glad I got the chance to tell you what a worthless insect you are before I did. _Burn in hell_.” Avalon’s voice became more of a damaged growl.

He approached the Fang.

“I’m not the one dragging the kid into a _war_!” I yelled back.

He picked up the Fang with one stolen paw, summoned a Dragon Pulse with the other. Tobias tried to push me out of the way but instead it hit us both, and we landed five feet away from each other.

“What I do, I do to protect my family, Alex!” he barked. “Don’t you tell me how to care for my own! Not after you left your friends to die in that place!”

I laughed, bitterly. “Are you talking about that wild Yungoos chase you sent me on?! You and I both know that Dreigo and the others were never trapped there!”

“I’m talking about when you _ran_ and left my brother and _your Pokémon_ behind!”

“I didn’t run! I was _taken_!”

“They could have died at the Skarsgards’ hands for all you knew and it took a Pokénapper to convince you to even remember us!”

“I have amnesia!”

The whole time we were speaking, Zweil had trained Avalon’s eyes on me. Now Tobias was almost behind her, or him, whichever way you look at it. Brine hit Zweil in the back of Avalon’s head.

Zweil grunted.

Tobias held his hand steady. “Don’t think I’m going to go easy on you just because you’re hiding in another Pokémon’s body,” he said, “you’ve already shown me that you feel pain.”

“Oh.” He turned to face him. “It speaks.”

He slammed her foot on the ground and a wave of black electricity ran through the floor, shocking us both. Tobias retaliated with Water Gun. Zweil gritted his teeth and took the hit, then fired another Dragon Pulse. Tobias retreated into his shell and went skittering across the floor; he landed against the wall and got right back up again.

Zweil looked from us to the Gyarados and back again. He summoned a Flame Charge, sending up clouds of oily-smoke. Brine cut through it. Avalon’s body ended up splayed out on the floor.

“This fucking Quilava!” he barked.

He shocked us both. I tried to summon Metal Claw but it faded as soon as it appeared. Tobias summoned an Ice Beam but Shadow Ball broke right through it and smacked him in the face. I tried trapping Avalon’s body in a Fire Spin but Dragon Pulse cut through it and hit me in the stomach. Our attacks weren't strong enough to counter his magic. So I took a more physical approach.

I tackled him to the ground and wrapped my arms around Avalon’s neck and my legs around her waist.

“Tobias,” I called, “use Brine!”

“Are you-”

“Yes I’m sure! Do it!”

Reluctantly, Tobias fired. We were both drenched, but I held on tight until Zweil cried out in pain. He shoved me to the ground and I pulled away. He slipped a little as he pushed himself onto Avalon’s all-fours and came barrelling towards us. Then he fell.

Tobias used Brine. Zweil grit Avalon’s teeth and growled but still he plunged forward and Crunched down on my partner’s leg. I grabbed Avalon’s back paws and tore him away but her fangs left a nasty cut in Tobias’ skin. Smoky-oil rose with a hissing sound.

I tossed a Silver Spike that hit him in the side of Avalon’s mouth. It pierced the skin, and the same thing happened to her. Zweil tossed it aside and shook the oily-smoke off her paw.

I reached for another Spike, then paused. Dumbass, you have a sword!

I drew Hunter from its sheath. Zweil’s Dragon Pulse countered Tobias’ water gun just long enough for me to slash him across Avalon's face, and more smoky-oil spewed. I raised the sword and bashed him in the head with it.

I ripped the Fang from his grasp. He reached out for it but Tobias’ Rapid hit him in the face and he went sliding back over the floor.

Zweil stopped to catch his breath. Or Avalon’s breath. Whichever way you look at it.

“Don’t you think,” he huffed, “that I care about hurting this Pokémon any more than you do. If she dies I wake up in my laboratory safe and sound as if this was all a pleasant dream.” He coughed. “I can’t say how well you’ll sleep if you end up murdering one of your friends.”

“Was Heidi your friend?” I said.

A pause.

“I thought so. The Pokémon that _died_ the last time you pulled a stunt like this! I never thought for one second that you were capable of mercy!”

“That’s rich.”

I clenched my jaw. Tobias put a hand on my shoulder to try and lead me away from him, from her. We went wide around them and approached the Gyarados.

“You two idiots don’t know what you’re doing with that thing.”

“We’re putting it in its mouth, it’s really not a complicated process,” I said.

“With _that_ thing!” he repeated, pointing to the statue. “If you let it free it’ll go berserk! It’ll _kill_ people! Since you’re such a crusader for Pokémon’s lives all of a sudden!”

Despite the messenger, I had to appreciate the message. He was right. We really didn’t know what we were doing, and this was not a situation to be handled by amateurs.

“I need that fang,” Zweil panted.

“Sucks to be you.”

“I’m willing to bargain for it.”

I laughed. “Just because I have amnesia doesn’t mean I’m stupid.”

“I never said you were. But you’re kind, aren’t you? Nowadays?”

He straightened up and brushed down the fur on Avalon’s head.

“I’m offering an exchange. Your Pokémon for my artefact. Give me the Sapphire Fang and I can give you back your friends.”

Tobias and I looked at each other.

“In my laboratory there’s a teleportation system that’s currently fixed on the prison. It’ll teleport any living thing it finds. I can drop them right outside the doorstep. Yourselves included.” A small laugh. “I mean, it’s the only way out of here, as far as I can see.”

“Why should I believe you?”

A flash of white. Atlas lay on the ground in front of us. The silver water had covered almost every inch of his body. All that was left was the end of his tail.

“If you can do _that_ , I don’t see what’s stopping you teleporting _us_ wherever you want.”

“I like your thinking! But unfortunately an aerial remote beam is very easy to step out of. Commander Grayson, as you can see, was in no position to do so. The silver water has almost consumed him. I’d advise you to make your decision before he’s lost to you forever.”

“If we let you use the Fang you’ll just kill us all anyway!” said Tobias.

“I won’t. As soon as you the teleporter activates I’ll send us all outside. My plan is not to initiate the very thing I set out to prevent, Alex.”

“And if you’re lying?” I said.

“I’m in no position to fight you, as you can see. Besides,” he looked me up and down, “I don’t exactly trust you either. I don't what’s to stop you from running me through with that sword the second I step out of line. And there’s my foothold gone.”

“I would never do something like that.” My voice came out as a growl.

He held up her paws. “I’ll take your word for it.”

“What’s to stop you possessing either of us as soon as we hand it over?”

Zweil looked at him like he was an idiot. “If I could simply posses anyone I liked, do you think _we_ would be having this conversation right now?”

Fair point.

“No one will even have to know what happened. I’ll leave the second it’s in my hands.”

The silver clotted between the shredded scraps of Atlas’ wings and the joints in his prosthetics. Wings Feather had promised they’d replaced. After I had ruined his real ones.

I spoke quickly. “You’ll leave the second it’s in your- in _her_ hands?”

He spoke slowly. “It’ll happen in the blink of an eye.”

“You’ll bring _all_ of them back? My friends, my cousin?”

“I will bring your friends back safe and sound.”

“Do you _swear_?”

“Hand on my heart.” He placed Avalon’s paw on Avalon’s chest.

Atlas’ fire gasped for air. I handed Zweil the Sapphire Fang. He placed Avalon’s paw on top of it but I held on tight.

Zweil laughed.

“All right, all right. Rhoda, activate it.”

Yellow light filled the room.

The silver trailed slowed, thinned, and died. Within moments it was crumbling away, rising up into the air in pale flakes. Zweil placed Avalon’s paw against his neck. I slapped it away.

“I was checking his pulse,” he said.

I batted him away then knelt down and checked for him. It was there, however. Slow, and weak, but still there.

“Where are the others?” I demanded.

Zweil raised Avalon’s paw. Oil-smoke flowed to the far wall, and wiped away at the grime covering a thick pane of glass. I cringed away as sunlight poured in.

Tobias ran to the window. “Alex.”

The Skarsgard soldiers were scattered across the ground around the base of the tower. They were tinted with silver, but the hard casing was gone. One-by-one, they lifted their heads, blinking in the sun.

“It worked,” Tobias said, awed.

“Of course it did,” said Zweil. “Did you really doubt my word?”

“Are you really saying that from inside the snatched body of our injured friend?” I said.

The possessor laughed. “Fair point.” He looked down. “It seems you’re still holding on to your end of the bargain.”

I didn’t answer him, but I didn’t loosen my grip, either.

“Let go of the Fang or I’ll throw this body out of that window.”

“If you were willing to do that you would have threatened us with it _before_ freeing all of our friends,” said Tobias.

He laughed again. “That would never work with the Alex I know. This Quilava is nowhere near important enough.”

I clenched my jaw and said nothing. By Moltres there were a thousand things I could have said to him then, but now more than any other time on this whole goddamned journey I needed to keep my big mouth _shut_.

“You’re wrong,” Tobias said.

Zweil looked at him. “Am I, now?”

“Take it from his best friend who’s the least important Squirtle in existence. You’re _wrong_!”

I opened my mouth to speak. Zweil cut over me: “If the Skarsgards see Avalon die whilst in the company of _you and a stranger_ , they will cut you down like weeds.”

Tobias looked at me. I looked back at him.

I let the Fang go.

“I would never have let Avalon die,” I told him.

“You must care very much for the Skarsgards if that’s the case.”

He held up the Sapphire Fang, and turned it in her paws, admiring it.

He gave me a toothy smile that made me shudder.

“I’ll see you on the battlefield, soldier.”

Then with a flash of white light he was gone. And Avalon was gone with him.

The window wouldn’t open. We tried banging on the glass and yelling, but it was no use. Neither was trying to crack it with Metal Claw; that only left me with an injured hand. I tried heating the glass, but it just absorbed it, the same as it did with Tobias’ Ice Beam. The soldiers on the ground were still picking themselves back up. It was only when Art set out to scout for enemies that they finally spotted us.

Braze’s Flare Blitz broke through the ancient glass. He picked the shards out of his chainmail and carried us back down. He set us both on the ground; Khan and Tobias ran to each other and hugged each other tight.

“I’m so glad you’re both okay,” the Professor said.

The Enderpyres all sported faded silver stains over their bodies. The water rose up into the air, little sparkling dewdrops that faded into nothing. Atlas got to his feet and rubbed his eyes.

“I think I died.”

Markus span both arms around, checking for injured muscles or loose screws. Amber and Sapphire nuzzled their heads together. Coast was rounding up the Victory Hunters. Braze flapped his wings to stretch them out. Asa was brushing the silver dust off his jewellery.

I looked around. “Where’s Feather?”

Asa gave me an empathetic look. “Alex-”

“No,” I said, “don’t give me that, don’t give me that sympathy. Where is my cousin?”

“What happened to him?” asked Amber.

“The silver water took him,”Asa said, “it covered him completely. Like it did with those Varia Pokémon. He’s gone.”

“But you’re all here!” I yelled. “You're all _safe_! The silver water is gone, it was covering Atlas from head-to-tail, but it saved him! It should have saved Feather too!”

“There was nothing left of him to save, Alex.”

“When exactly did you see that?” said Nate. “You guys left a while before that happened.”

“ _What_ exactly saved us?” asked Coast.

“Where’s Avalon?” said Scar, looking around frantically. “I don't see her either, where is she?”

They were looking to me for answers now.

_If the Skarsgards see Avalon die… they will cut you down like weeds._

“What happened up there?” Asa asked.

I opened my mouth to answer, then stopped. “Where are Fortis and Harriet?” I asked.

Coast looked over his shoulder, as if he’d only just realised they were gone. “Weren’t here when we arrived.”

“Alex,” said Nate, his voice deadly serious, “what happened to Avalon?”

We explained what had happened. The Victory Hunters shared looks of horror. Niamh hid her face in her hands and cried. Agatha knelt down to hold her. Nate turned away so none of us could see him. Bonnie was staring at the ground, stock-still. Tess’ eyes were wide, and her body started to tremble slightly. Baz screwed up her eyes. Scar gave an angry howl and let loose a wild Psycho Cut. Art hovered away from the group, frowning; it was the most expression I’d ever seen on them.

Amber was pacing across the ground. Sapphire was staring up at the prison. Coast was inspecting a cropping of molehills just beyond the blue walls. Markus was trying to console the grieving Pokémon. Braze was staring off to the south, where Grande Castle was a white speck in the distance.

The wind whistled in the trees, around the prison and through the leaves.

_HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH._

“What the hell was that?!” I said.

“The summoning horn,” said Nate.

“The Skarsgard army is preparing for battle,” said Art.

There was a stillness. A despair. The battle was starting. We were miles and miles from the city, and we had no way of teleporting back. We’d already taken so much damage it was a wonder that we were all still standing. Except it wasn’t all of us. We’d lost Avalon, and we’d lost Feather.

We were out of options. We were out of hope.

Until a Vulcan Diglett popped out of the ground.


	20. The Battle of the Dragons

_“Our king has no interest in you. He has already determined that victory against you is assured.” - Ghetsis, Black & White_

The Enderpyres gathered around her. She didn’t seem fazed in the slightest.

She cleared her throat. “Esteemed soldiers of the Skarsgards! I am an envoy of the Earthspringers! I am here to offer an alliance, on behalf of Mr. Ayers and the Earthspring, in the Battle of the Dragons!”

“Who the hell are you?” said Coast.

“I’m Reina, who the hell are you?”

Coast’ eyes widened. The Skarsgards exchanged looks.

“Are you just going to stand there all day?” she said. “The battle is _starting_ , like _now_. Do you want out help or not?”

“What help?! What the hell are you talking about?!”

“I’m here,” she said slowly, “on behalf of Mr. Ayers. I’m here to escort you to your destination.”

“Mr. Ayers is a real Pokémon?” said Scar.

“Terrakion protect me, give me a moment to _speak_!”

“You don’t speak while we’re speaking,” Braze said. “Asa, do you know these Pokémon?”

Asa nodded. “I’ve met them a few times on my travels. They’ve provided Gems to the vault before.”

“I’ve heard of them too,” Markus said. “Ayers is an underground power in Grandé City-”

“Literally,” said Reina.

“- he may be wanting to hang onto that. Maybe the Varias don’t like him.”

“Or maybe they like him a little too much,” said Coast.

“Eco-adjustment is kind of the Varias’ whole thing,” said Amber. “Wouldn’t make much sense for a bunch of tunnellers to take their side.”

“That’s _whyyyy_ we’re here!” said Reina.

“The battle will be starting in an _hour_ ,” said Atlas. “You had _several weeks_ to approach us.”

“Several weeks we spent right under the Varias’ noses. We couldn’t exactly take the tunnels with us! We had to _lay low_ ; so it’s lucky we were underground! But now we have the chance we’ve been waiting for. We can take you to Grande City, the journey’s five times faster as the Diglett digs. We can heal you, repair your arms and armour, and take you right into the heart of the battle! We can form a new alliance!”

Silence.

“It doesn’t look like we have much of a choice,” Markus said grimly.

Reina flashed him a smile. She ducked back down and the hole opened wide. The tunnel was wide enough for four Pokémon to walk abreast. We followed her down.

“I hope you brought snacks!” she said. “It’s a good six hours walk to the city.”

“Six hours?” said Atlas. “It takes at least twelve hours by foot, maybe seven by air if you can handle the winds.”

“Ah, but that’s _above_ ground. Things go a lot smoother when you take winds and hills and wild Pokémon and all that other troublesome stuff out of the equation.”

Just in the first few moments we passed several Pokémon along the way, all ground-types. None of them looked on-edge, or fearful; in fact, it seemed like they all expected us to be there.

“How the hell did you find us?” Braze asked. “Our location was a _military secret_.”

“Ahh, well, what’s a secret between friends, right?”

“No, not right. Not right at all.”

Reina didn’t respond.

Sapphire pulled back to walk alongside me. We let the others get a few steps ahead. Tobias looked back over his shoulder, and I gave him a thumbs-up. He nodded and left me to it.

“I wanted to thank you for your help back there,” said the Arcanine.

“Oh, er, of course, don’t worry about it. It is my job, after all.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Do you know what you’re going to do after this?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m just worried about going home,” she confessed. “What do I tell them? I mean, we desecrated an ancient burial ground back there!”

“Yeah ‘cause those skeletons were trying to desecrate _us_!”

“I don’t know exactly how my family is going to react but I know it’s not going to be good. I don’t know if I should go back to them and try to make it work, or to just accept my fate, you know?”

“So why are you asking me?”

“I think you know why, hon.”

I looked up at the others. The Victory Hunters, the Enderpyres, Asa. My old friends. But none of my family.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do,” I said. “Right now my priority is winning this battle. I don’t think I can handle anything else at the moment.”

“Are you at least glad you came?”

I thought for a moment.

“I guess so,” I said. “I think it’s better than not knowing. At least I won’t have to spend the rest of my life waiting. _Wondering_. Sometimes the stuff you imagine can be even worse than the real thing.”

“You imagined something like this?”

A small smile. “No. I didn’t. But at least I’m not lying awake _wondering_ any more.”

“Do you think you’ll stay in the north?” she asked. “There are more places to live than just Grande City.”

Tobias’ back straightened.

“I don’t know yet,” I said, looking at him. “To be honest, I don’t feel that comfortable here. But I feel like I can't just _leave_ it, you know? This was my home.”

“Even though you don’t really remember it?” she asked gently.

“I don’t remember it but you all definitely remember me. It can feel pretty weird, you know? I don’t really know how I’m meant to feel. I don’t know what I’m supposed to feel about the place I came from.”

“You know what I feel? Remorse. Guilt. Sadness. And fear. Also fear.”

“Then why do you want to go back so badly?” I asked.

“Because they’re my family and I love them! And I don’t want to lose the place I grew up in! It’s a part of me!” She steadied herself. “I’m sorry, that was out of order.”

“Don't worry about it, I’m fully aware I’m basically the outline of a real person.”

“Is that what I’m going to be? An outline?”

Amber looked over her shoulder at us.

I thought for a moment.

“Do you like your life right now?” I asked Sapphire.

“Of course I do! I have friends, I have a girlfriend, I have a _purpose_! A purpose beyond being a _Sea Guardian_. A _fire-type_. A _fire-type Sea Guardian_. My father is a Vaporeon, you see. Wait, what was your point?”

A Pokémon in a brown-and-silver tunic shuffled past us. Panpour, a water-type. Odd.

“I went to extreme lengths to find out where I came from,” I said. “And now that I _do_ know, I can't exactly say that I’m happy with it. You have plenty of friends here, you have people who love you and who are… still alive. You can do anything, really; if you decide to start over, you can fill the outline with whatever you want.” My eyes lingered on the Enderpyres, leading the march down the tunnels. “But I’ll always be the human who almost destroyed Ruby Forest.”

“You’re not a human anymore, though.”

“That doesn’t make everything that happened back there just go away. _That’s_ a part of _me_ too. Even if I will never remember it.”

“You just need to figure out how big of a part it’s going to be.”

I might have been imagining it, or there might have been a hint of warning in her voice.

We were brought to a large cave. It was around the size of Burrowwild Cavern.

“Is this the main hall?” asked Tobias.

Reina laughed. “This is a communal lounge, it’s on the way to the main hall.”

We followed her across the wide room. Ground-type Pokémon watched us pass. They talked amongst themselves; I must have heard twice as many different accents as I had in the hospital tent when the Skarsgards found me. A lot of them sounded like two Pokémon I remembered.

A Piloswine picked herself up and moved out of the way, and I saw two figures, one red and one blue, huddled in close.

“Fortis!” I cried. “Harriet!”

The two of them jumped to their feet. They ran to greet us but a Golurk held out their arm.

“It’s all right,” said Reina, glancing from them to us, "they're friends.”

The Automaton Pokémon let them pass.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

“I… have friends here,” said Harriet.

“You have friends?” I teased. Harriet didn't laugh.

“What happened at the prison?” said Fortis. “Did you all make it out?”

Reina whistled. Before we could say another word we were walking again; Fortis and Harriet stepped into line behind us.

“Most of us did,” Khan explained. “We lost Alex's cousin.”

“Dialga…” said Harriet.

“I’m sorry, Alex,” Fortis said.

I nodded.

“Where exactly are we going?” Harriet asked, looking all around her.

“To the head honcho, apparently,” said Khan.

“… Harriet?” said Fortis.

She didn’t answer.

“Harriet?”

She exhaled. “Let’s just get this over with.”

Reina took us down another tunnel. She stopped before a canvas hanging over the exit, a geometric pattern of, creatively, browns and silvers. A Golisopod and a Bald Golem stood guard.

“All right, let’s go over the rules: You speak when you are spoken to; you _never_ insult Mr. Ayers; you never insult Connie, his assistant; and you never, _ever_ threaten Mr. Ayers. All weapons are to be left with the guardsmon at the door.”

“Are you kidding me?” Braze growled, baring his fangs.

“There, see what you're doing with your teeth?” said Reina. “Don’t do that either. If you can’t control yourself you might want to pick somebody else to negotiate for you.”

Now that Feather was gone, Braze was our de-facto leader. But how had Reina known that?

Braze growled. He unsheathed his sword and handed it to the Golisopod.

“Juuuust try to be polite. It’ll go over a lot smoother. For all of us.”

She whistled again. The Golem guardsmon pulled the canvas away.

The main hall was large enough to be the nest of a Giant. There were too many exits to count, and at each stood two guardsmon, armed-and-armoured in brown-and-silver. Wooden bridges led to the middle of the room, where a spiralling staircase lead to a platform high up above the ground.

We had to crane our heads up to see the Pokémon waiting for us on top of it, sat on an intricately carved stone chair that looked suspiciously like a throne. A Swampert. Mr. Ayers.

“A pleasure to make your acquaintance,” his voice rang across the cavern.

Fortis’ eyes were wide. His beak was clenched tight.

“You're alive,” he said. His voice echoed, again and again in the silence.

Mr. Ayers smiled. “I should hope so.”

Harriet put a wing on his shoulder. “Don’t do anything rash.”

“Listen to your friend, Fortis.”

All eyes turned on him. _All_ eyes.

“Reina,” Mr. Ayers said, “you may escort them to me now.”

Reina herded us forward. We started at the bottom of the staircase and had to climb sixty feet into the air. It was a long, long trek up.

“It’s a mile’s walk from here,” said the Diglett, “feel free to chat to pass the time.”

Hundreds of eyes were on us at every moment. None of us felt particularly like chatting. By the time we _finally_ made it to the platform, everyone was wound up enough to jump at their own shadow.

At Mr. Ayers side stood a Drilbur; Connie, as Reina had mentioned. A Rhyperior and a Krookodile stood guard across from him. He waited for all of us to make it, saying nothing to his guests, chatting jovially with his assistant.

Fortis stood there with his beak and fists clenched. Despite the fury in his eyes, they ended up wandering to the small army of ground-type Pokémon glaring down at us. Mr. Ayers smiled at him. Fortis held his chin up and averted his gaze. For a moment, it almost looked like tears were forming.

Mr. Ayers turned his head as Harriet appeared.

“Glad you could join us.”

Harriet’s face was deathly pale as she cautiously stepped up onto the platform. The Swampert’s eyes moved over us, and each one of us tensed up, just a little.

“You’re all looking rather worse for wear,” he said. “Rough day at work?”

“You said something about an alliance,” said Braze.

“I did! Good of you to hear me out.”

“Get to the point,” our leader said roughly.

A loud, resounding rustle of steel.

Mr. Ayers smiled again and raised a hand to his Pokémon.

“I’ll summarise my offer to you: Healing. Repairs. A pathway directly to the battlefield, which at present is the heart of Grande City. Soldiers. Hundreds of them. A cage to keep your Varia prisoners.”

Niamh whispered something to Coast.

“Speak up.”

Niamh stepped forward. He hands were fidgeting but she held her head high. “How will these prisoners be treated, Mr. Ayers?”

“Excellent point, Dame Dignan,” said Markus.

Another smile. “The prisoners will be treated as prisoners of the Skarsgard,” Mr. Ayers answered. “No worse, no better.”

A silence. The Enderpyres exchanged looks. Mr. Ayers watched us, waiting for us to speak. But nobody spoke.

“Reina will take you to the healer’s cavern,” he said, “then we’ll take a look at that, I want to say armour?”

“What exactly do you want out of this, Mr. Ayers?” said Coast.

The Swampert craned his head up to the sky. “We are currently directly beneath the main courtyard of Grande Castle. A tunnel leads from this cavern to a corridor beneath the dungeons. Don’t worry, though. The staircase skirts around them.”

Markus stepped up. “You have a passage _directly_ to the residence of the Queen? Oho, you’re a mad Pokémon if you think you have-”

“Correction. We have a direct passage to _Candlelight Springs_. Which, _coincidentally_ , has a direct line to the Castle. Pokémon cannot claim ownership of holy land, as I’m sure you’re aware.”

“So what’s your point?” the Emboar said through gritted teeth.

“The point is that I’m _also_ providing you a direct path to where the Varia brothers are hiding.”

The Skarsgards exchanged looks of confusion, amazement, and disbelief.

“The Varia brothers?” I said. “You mean Dreigo?”

“Dreigo, Zweil, and Dei, yes. You’ll have a direct line to the heart of the rebellion _itself_. Right now they’re controlling the movement of their army remotely from the sixth floor. They’re heavily guarded, but my word, can you imagine the damage you’d do by eliminating only three Pokémon? Their amassed ranks directionless, their vast thaumatological reserve left redundant, their fiery morale utterly shattered. An army is nothing but a mob without a leader. And a mob is nothing against an army.”

“Do you want to tell us where exactly you’re getting all this information from?” said Amber. “We’ve had insiders on the Varia side since before the war even started, and we’ve received none of this information.”

Mr. Ayers raised his hand. A Haunter appeared out of the ground, dressed in black-and-blue armour.

“Kieran here has been working for the Varias for the past, oh, forty-one days or so.”

“Immediately _after_ we were driven out of Grande City,” said Braze. “That's convenient, isn’t it?”

“Quite! We’ve been gathering information from multiple sources the whole time you've been meandering around in exile. We’ve even managed to make something of a name for ourselves on the Varia side. Lord Zweil Varia originally sent us to the Goldenwater in order to dispose of you all. But I must say, my heart went out to you. Seeing you lying there after such a humiliating failure, injured, defeated, _leaderless_ , it simply broke my heart. I saw with my own eyes the _cruelty_ those three troublemakers have put you all through, and I decided I would have no part in it! So, I ordered Reina,” he gestured to the beaming Diglett, “to bring you to me instead. I offered safe, time-effective passage through hostile territory. I’m offering healing, supplies, and access to a crucial tactical vantage point. I’m also offering five hundred trained, battle-worthy soldiers to assist in the retaking of the royal seat.”

At least a hundred of which were currently poised and ready to tear us to pieces. All it would take would be a single word. And none of us trusted him not to use it.

“As to what I want in return,” Mr. Ayers continued, “it’s very simple. Lordship.”

“ _Lordship?!_ ” said Fortis.

“No chance,” Markus said immediately.

“I do believe there’s a position open, no?”

“That position has already been filled by-,” Coast began, then stopped herself. We couldn't reveal anything to him just yet. “That position is no longer available.”

Again, that menacing smile. “Then open up a new one.”

“You can’t be serious!” said Markus. Mr. Ayers just stared him down. In the silence we could hear the subtle _clink_ of the Earthspringers’ armour.

“Why in the name of all the gods do you want them to make you a lord?!” Fortis demanded. “You were _already a lord before you_ -”

“Careful Fortis.” His tone dropped suddenly. “We don’t want things turning ungentlemonly around here, do we?”

Fortis drew his swords.

“Fortis, don’t!” Harriet cried.

Fortis took a single step before being yanked downwards. The earth beneath him turned to quicksand. It swallowed him up until it was past his hips. He dug his swords into solid ground, but they didn't even pierce the surface.

“Leave him alone!” Harriet screamed. She grabbed onto his waist and Tobias and I held him by the arms and we and pulled as hard as she could, but to no avail. The earth was pressing in on him so hard that he could barely breath.

Mr. Ayers just watched, amused. Asa put himself between us and the Swampert.

“That’s enough, Mr. Ayers! You don’t need to drag him into this!”

He raised his eyebrows. “ _Mr._ Ayers?”

“You can’t expect them to make you a lord _twice_ , you colossal moron!” Harriet said. “Especially under a fake name!”

Mr. Ayers stared at her. She shifted on her feet.

“Fake.” Almost a whisper.

The sand stopped. Fortis heaved, and finally pulled himself free. Harriet helped him to his feet.

“You of all Pokémon would know _fake_ , wouldn’t you, Harriet?”

Eyes on her.

“She’s a Varia spy, Fortis,” said Mr. Ayers.

The Enderpyres and the Victory Hunters all shared knowing looks.

“She's not a spy!” I said. “She’s on _our side_ now. She has been ever since…” I trailed off. When exactly had she told us that? I couldn't remember…

“Celebi above only knows you were hired. You were very nearly found out, you know. One of our scouts had to liberate your bag from the camp before they found the Varia sigil you were holding onto. You realise they search your possessions, don’t you?”

“Mr. Ayers, please-” Markus started.

“ _That’s not his fucking name!_ ” Fortis roared.

The Rhyperior grabbed him by the back of the head and kicked him down to his knees. His hands twitched at his sides, but he didn't dare draw his swords.

“That language is terribly unbecoming of a Lord’s guard, Fortis,” said the Swampert. “Oh, I’m sorry, but you’re no longer a Lord’s guard, are you?” He leaned back in his chair, and shared an arrogant smile with Connie. “Must have slipped my mind.”

“I’m still loyal to your son,” Fortis snapped back, “even if you and Alister and everyone else abandons him, I’m not turning my back on him like some _coward_!”

Mr. Ayers leaned in closer. Fortis bravely met his eye, but even I could see that he was terrified.

“You're not understanding me, Fortis,” he said quietly, “you are _no longer a Lord’s guard_. Am I getting through to you? Yes? No?”

“You’re _sick_ ,” said Harriet. Two hundred eyes shifted onto her.

“You sent those Pokémon to kidnap me,” I said.

No denial.

“How did you know who I was?” I demanded.

“A strange Pokémon with no memory going by the name of _“S. Alex. A.”_ shows up at the Atlanta Academy _two days_ after _Sir Alex Albion_ goes missing-in-action only sixty miles to the north? Why, it took all the Earthspringer’s greatest minds to string it together, it was _truly_ the mystery of the decade.”

Khan’s eyes narrowed then. “How did you know about that?”

Mr. Ayers just shrugged. “Hearsay.”

“She’s right,” said Fortis, “you really are _sick_. You abandoned your own son, and then you _used_ him to get to Alex!”

Mr. Ayers raised his eyebrows. “As did you. Don’t you recall? You abandoned your liege and your duty to my bloodline. And you were more than happy to _use_ Alex to as a free ticket into Ruby Forest.”

“He never “used” anyone!” Harriet yelled. “We worked _together_! We relied on _him_ to keep us alive! After you sent us in there to _die_!”

The Krookodile grabbed her by the trident. She lashed out with her Steel Wing but the Intimidation Pokémon caught it and twisted it unnaturally, forcing her down onto one knee. She tried to struggle but she pulled her tighter until her eyes screwed up in pain.

“Harriet, _please_ ,” Fortis said.

“Let go of her!” I demanded.

“She isn’t threatening you!” said Tobias. “You can’t monhandle her like that!”

The Swampert feigned shock. “Can’t I?”

“Who the hell do you think you are?” said Braze.

“I think I’m the Pokémon who’s just won the war.”

I waited for someone to dispute this, but no one was strong enough to argue anymore. Between the battle, the loss, and the long, long trek to get here, none of us were in the right position to negotiate.

“I know your plan was to awaken the Gyarados and use its power to your own gain. And that you failed. And that without it, your one and only hope would be to enter Grande Castle and dismantle their greatest power source from within. Zweil’s laboratory is on the fifth floor. The brothers are hiding on the sixth. We’ll be happy to escort you there! We’ve gotten to know the castle pretty well over the past few weeks. And I know the Queen can be very _fastidious_ about who she lets inside.”

“You have some fucking nerve,” said Coast.

“So do you, insulting a Pokemon in his own home.” There was no warmth in his voice. My eyes were drawn inexplicably back to the Pokémon peering down at us.

“Listen, I am not an edacious Pokémon. I’m not after more land or more wealth. All I’m asking for is a title, and what’s in a name, anyhow?”

“A hell of a lot for a name like that, actually,” said Atlas.

“A name that, apparently, you already laid claim to a while back,” said Amber.

“You know damn well that it’s more than just a _title_ ,” said Markus.

“And what I’ve given you is far more than just an _alliance_ ,” the Swampert returned. “I’ve given you the battle. And thus, by extension, the war.”

We were backed into a corner, somewhat literally. We were exhausted and injured. We’d lost our leader, and we’d failed our mission. The battle had already begun, and it was being dangled in front of us, just out of reach. And worst of all, we were surrounded by trained soldiers that we couldn’t fully trust, at the command of a Pokémon who’d faked his own death to come here and blackmail us.

“What makes you think we’re even accepting your help?” said Braze.

“You already have,” said Mr. Finley.

We were restored, fed, and restocked. We were taken to the healer's den to rest, and woken up four hours later, at the Houndhour. The veteran soldiers were furious that they'd been allowed to sleep for so long, despite how badly we’d all needed it. Besides, Reina told us, it would be most likely at least another day before the battle was even _close_ to ending.

The arms and armour were the colours of mud & silver. Markus was forced to display their sigil on his chest: three silver halos against a muddy hue. They had armour to spare for every one of us.

I was given new cuffs and a helmet. Tobias was a helmet and chest plate. Fortis was offered a new jacket and a pair of breeches.

“No thank you.”

“You really shouldn’t go out there without proper clothing,” said the Marble Geodude holding it out to him.

“My clothing is none of your concern,” he snapped.

The Earthspringer turned and hopped away, head hanging. Figuratively. Harriet looked at him.

“What?!”

“Fortis,” Khan said, “there’s no reason to be callous.”

“ _You_ don’t have anything to be _callous_ about!”

His eyebrows arched. “Is that right?”

Asa stepped in between them, and the Gem at his forehead glowed silver. Their bodies were held in place. They both looked furious at being held like this, but the Bulbasaur wasn't fazed.

“That’s enough, the both of you,” he said, soft but stern. “We’re going into battle in five minute’s time, and every one of us needs to be _in-sync_. Either harmonise or separate.”

Fortis and Khan met each other’s eyes.

Fortis offered his hand. Khan offered his claw. They shook.

“Whatever differences we may have,” said the Blaziken, “I will fight by your side, and I will treat your life as my own. I’ll do the same for Alex and Tobias as well.”

Harriet looked at him, but didn't say anything.

“I never doubted that,” said the Garchomp, “and you can trust me to do the same.”

Fortis nodded. “Of course.”

Asa breathed a sigh of relief. Tobias had a relieved smile on his face. Harriet distracted herself by fiddling with bits of her armour that was already fixed and strapped into place.

Braze fastened a silver-coloured helmet over his face. When he closed his eyes he looked so much like Feather had when the silver water had swallowed him whole.

I was squeezing myself into one of their tunics; a _much_ tighter fit than my old one; when Amber approached me, and asked for a moment to talk.

“I overheard you and Sapphire in the tunnel back there.”

A Hippowdon pushed past us, a giant sack of rattling metal strapped to his back. He was sweating sand everywhere. Amber brushed herself off with her tails.

“I have an apology to make.” She put a paw to her chest. “I’m the one who told the Victory Hunters about you.”

“Yeah, I know. You’re not subtle.”

“Oof, that’s a real shame considering I’m supposed to be the secret operative of the party.”

“Interesting,” I said. “What does that entail?”

“Oh is that a pun? Is that a pun because of the tails?”

“It’s not-”

“It's a pun because of the tails, isn’t it?”

“… It is, yeah.”

A Trapinch brought four steel boots, one padded to protect her prosthetic leg, and laid them out before her. She scuttled away before she could thank her.

“I dreamt of being a soldier as long as I can remember,” he said to me. “My parents absolutely _freaked_ when I told them; they're resolute pacifists, always have been. And Moltres, when I told them I’d been accepted I swear they almost broke the code and bit me. They told me if I joined the army they would kick me out. So I joined the army, and they kicked me out.”

“Wow,” I said, very helpfully. “Er… What did you do?”

“They lived in Grande City, pretty close to where I usually did my rounds. After a while it became too much for me to handle, so my personal trainer at the time sent me up to the rangelands to train for a year. It did me a lot of good. I evolved there, and I grew.”

“Then what happened?”

“Then I came home.”

A Combusken with regular colouring brought Fortis a brush for his feathers. The Blaziken opened his mouth to speak, but his younger counterpart was already gone.

“We're getting better. It’s taken a few years, but we’re good together now. I came home just in time to see my little brother hatch. My parents and I still fight, and I get the feeling Cal’s taking their side. But it’s so much better than it was ten years ago, it’s unbelievable. I don’t think it would have happened if I hadn’t taken that year to change.”

“But you were the kid,” I said, “it wasn’t your job to change.”

“Maybe not… But my point is that I needed to make a life for myself on my _own_ terms before I could let them be a part of it. Whether it was fair or not.”

“Hah, you just want me out of here, don’t you?”

“No, Alex, I don’t. I want you to stay. You’re family to me too, whether you remember it or not.”

I was stunned for a moment. I didn't get a chance to respond. A steel-plated Carracosta was waving us out of the armoury towards the tunnels with the giant, spiked black-and-blue warhammer he held in his hand.

“Those are the Varia colours,” said Braze,”where did you get that thing?”

“From the Varias,” said the Proturtle Pokémon. “Don’t worry, I knocked ‘em out good and proper for ya.”

Mr. Finley and Connie came to see us off. They introduced us to our guide, a Golett, dressed in black-and-blue. They waited for us a few steps up.

“Good luck!” Connie said.

“Oh, and Fortis?” Mr. Finley called up.

“What?” Fortis answered without looking at him.

“If you tell a single soul what you saw here today, I will kill you.”

There was a stunned silence. Even Harriet was too shocked to react.

“What did you just say?” Braze growled.

“Well, technically _I_ won’t be the one to kill you, Connie here usually takes care of the dirty deeds for me.”

The Drilbur gave a toothy grin. “And I do ‘em dirt cheap.”

“But you will die,” he affirmed, “and we’ll be taking your friend off the map for good measure.”

Harriet swallowed.

Braze snapped his jaws in anger; flames flew from his mouth. He marched down the steps to face him.

“You cannot threaten one of our soldiers like that, Swampert!”

He tilted his head. “Can’t I?”

A pause. A long pause.

Braze snarled, scattering embers. Mr. Finley brushed them off his shoulders. “Get home safe, soldier. Oh, and it’s Ayers. Lord Ayers. Try and remember that, _Commander_ Winters.”

He turned and left us. The Golett waved us forward. We followed them up.

A powerful white-blue glow. Crystals decorated the cave. Light like water rose to the sky.

A wordless question. One I couldn’t ignore.

I answered out loud, screwing up my eyes and shielding myself: “No!”

The Spring accepted my answer.

Black.

Noises. Louder, louder, yet louder. Light. Fire.

The Golett pushed at a tile on the ceiling and we emerged into an enormous, lavishly decorated corridor. We were inside Grandé Castle.

Pokémon in black-and-blue armour raised their weapons and shields as black-and-orange soldiers broke through the windows. A Goodra and a Rhydon in Varia armour blocked the doorway ahead of us.

The Golett approached them.

“Get to the guest dining room!” the Goodra ordered. “Stay there until you hear-”

The Golett Mega Punched him in the stomach. The Rhydon tossed him across the floor, then stepped aside to hold the door open for us.

Varias were yelling: “Get ready! Get ready!”

Banging.

Marching.

We reached the entrance hall, a vast, sunset-tiled room bigger than the Royal Pavilion, just as the double-doors were being broken down. More and more Pokémon spilled in through the open windows. Chaos, chaos, all around us.

A Steelix’s grey jaws clamped around the doorframe and ripped the whole thing away.

Queen Octavia and her Pokémon charged the room.

She was wearing the helmet-crown studded with obsidian, fire opal, and topaz; jagged steel made to pierce skin and hide. She was covered head-to-toe in armour, and carried a greatsword in both hands.

She locked eyes with us. With Braze, with Asa, with me. Maybe she was looking for Feather.

A Dragonite raced down at them, bracing for Giga Impact. The Mamoswine beside her blasted her out of the sky with his Blizzard attack. Queen Octavia gave the order to advance.

I was distracted for a few seconds, which is too long in that kind of battle. An Inkay’s crossbow punctured my shield. I trapped her in a Fire Spin. A Liepard Slashed me across the shoulder.

Tobias hit her with Rapid Spin, slamming her into the wall. I grabbed him by the arm and we ducked under the stairs.

“We need a plan!” I said.

But no one was listening.

The Victory Hunters had already formed their own group; they were back-to-back, a slow-moving tornado knocking down Pokémon after Pokémon in their path. Asa was mass-healing the Skarsgard side, casting out a wide circle of pink light. An earth-shaking explosion made Tobias and I cling to the stairwell. Braze was barking orders to his Pokémon.

“Victory Hunters, defend the castle from the windows. Asa will flood heal; the Enderpyres will protect the Queen. Conmara, you’re with us.”

Fortis went down on one knee beside us.

“Please tell me you have a plan, buddy,” I said.

“I have a plan, friend. It’s called staying alive.”

“Love it already. Tell me more.”

“The other Pokémon have their orders, and we're not going to interfere with them. What the four of us need to do,” him, Khan, Tobias, and I, “is protect our key players from the fringes. We’re not going to try to bite off more than we can chew. This is life or death. Do you hear me?”

“So we're dealing with the stragglers, then?” I said.

“Exactly.”

A Scraggy leapt at Coast from behind. Khan’s Brick Break struck him down in the time it took to blink.

“The Professor’s one of the strongest Pokémon in Itori!” Tobias said indignantly. “You can’t waste his power on just picking off random Pokémon here and there!”

A Eelektross jumped at him. Fortis intercepted just in time and she dug her claws and teeth into him, firing electricity through his body. He grit his beak, pried her free, slammed her into the ground, Uppercut her into the stairwell. He stopped to catch his breath.

“There’s nothing random about it,” he said. “One person can make all the difference.”

Rainbow light filled the room. Octavia’s body began to change; spikes grew from her shoulders and the tips of her wings as their undersides hardened into jagged edges, her horns sharpened into points, and two trails of fire streamed from her mouth. In a flash, we saw her new form. A Mega Charizard-X.

Queen Octavia threw her head back and roared.

The Badge in my bag glowed. Braze held out his hand. I hesitated, then place it in his hand. Rainbow-coloured light shined, and the other Charizard’s body transformed.

And then there was a red flash from the floor above.

“Release the Giant!” a Varia Tropius boomed.

The black-and-blue soldiers scarpered. The Skarsgards looked around in confusion. Six Haxorus stood around the a steel door.

“What have they done to the drawing room?” Octavia bemoaned.

It wasn’t a drawing room anymore. Now it was a cage. A Giant Pokémon, tall enough to fill the entire hallway, threw her head back and roared. The whole castle shook. The Tyrantrum snapped at the door as it opened. She clipped one of the Haxorus in the leg.

“Gaia!” he barked, and batted her with his halberd. “You eat _them_ , not us!”

The six Haxorus worked at a massive lever; before the bars were all the way up, the Giant ducked under, raise her head, and roared. The walls and the floor shook. The crystals on the chandelier above our heads cracked.

The Skarsgards raised their weapons and charged. Her Fire Fang clamped down on Togekiss, and the Giant shook violently. The Skarsgards aimed for her mouth.

My Fire Spin trapped a Snover in burning spiral. Tobias Ice Beam froze an Axew solid. Khan’s Enchanted Giga Impact crashed through four Pokémon at once. Fortis duelled with a Gallade; their swords, steel and bone, clashed and parried and struck again, evenly matched. Then suddenly Fortis was moving fast, and he slashed the Blade Pokémon across the face, chest, and drove his Sky Uppercut into his torso. Blaze Kick took his legs out from under him.

Harriet’s Hydro Cannon slammed a Varia Prinplup into the wall. She looked to Fortis, but he turned his attention to some random enemy in the distance.

Gaia’s Head Smash slammed into Atlas. Despite the constant barrage, she didn’t flinch from any attack. It may or may not have had something to do with the golden brace clamped around her neck.

I used Fire Spin. It did nothing. Tobias tried Ice Beam. She kicked us away and we landed hard on the tile floor. She slammed her head into Octavia, and pink heart-shaped sparks flew.

Then the Giant threw her head back and her throat glowed orange and a dragon’s head broke against the ceiling, raining meteors down over our heads. Tobias and I ran from one only to end up in the path of another. Khan held up his fins and blocked the attack.

Gaia charged, head lowered, glowing pale-blue. Art carried Bonnie into the air and flung him at her. The blue soaked into his paws and he pushed off against her. Foul Play sent her own energy crashing back through her skull. Art caught Bonnie before he could fall. Then the shockwaves from a Hyper Voice attack sent them tumbling to the ground.

Niamh’s Flame Burst bounced uselessly off the Giant’s hard skin.

“Nate!” she called. “We need more power!”

Nate saluted. He summoned a ball of energy in palms; it looked like a small sun. He hurled it into the air where it hit the ceiling, and a bright flash filled the room. I cried out and shielded eyes with my hand. I heard a sizzling sound from somewhere.

Gaia’s Head Smash took down three Skarsgards at once. Their allies had an opening to attack them from behind but the Haxorus formed a defensive line and pushed them back. The fliers attacked from the air but a Varia Magnezone’s Thunder struck them down one-by-one. Octavia, spread her wings and took to the sky and went straight for the Giant, greatsword drawn. Fire Fang clamped down on her and the Giant shook. Every Skarsgard attacked her mouth at once so their Queen could pull free. The Varias took their chance and swarmed over them.

Gaia fired another Draco Meteor. We took shelter under a crumbling doorframe. It shook the walls and the floor and gravel rained down on top of us. I coughed and covered my mouth, Tobias washed the dust from his eyes.

“Alex.”

He pointed to the floor at the centre of the room. At first it was just a pile of sand on the ground below the Giant’s feet. Then the sand began to move. The smaller Pokémon scarpered. The floor was coming away, and it was dragging everyone else away with it.

Gaia roared and trashed and heaved. For a brief moment one of her feet came free, then two hands that looked like the towers of a castle reached up and pulled her back down.

Pokémon in brown-and-silver armour came pouring out of the ground. They pushed the Varias back, back, back even further. An Excadrill’s Metal Claw slashed the Tropius across the face.

The ground gave way beneath Gaia's feet. The Earthspringers had buried her up to her knees, and while her claws scraped desperately across the tiles, they launched a combined attack and hit her between the eyes. In pure frustration, she unleashed another Draco Meteor.

Another one headed straight at us. Moltres, there were so many. I took a chance and countered with Flamethrower. It was surrounded by a bright yellow glow. Weird. That had never happened before.

The smoke had cleared and then there was Octavia, teeth and weapon bared, rocketing towards Gaia. The Giant’s jaws stretched open wide but at the last second Octavia span in mid-air, dodged, and brought her greatsword down across the Tyrantrum’s right eye.

Gaia roared. She fell forward, and even buried knee-deep, she was taller enough to knocked down the chandelier, which crashed down on top of several Pokémon in all different uniforms.

The soldiers pulled back as the ground shifted. Tile and stone and soil fell away, and the Giant was swallowed up by the earth. Her roar echoed up through the cavern as she fell. She hit the ground Moltres knows how many feet down, and the castle shook with the impact.

“Is she going to be okay?” I asked. But nobody heard me.

The Earthspringer and Skarsgard soldiers made short work of the remaining Varias. Octavia marched over to the Enderpyres.

“What the hell happened to Byrne?” she demanded.

Something flickered in the corner of my eye, a dark shadow; but it was gone as soon as I tried to look directly at it. I shivered.

Markus explained what had happened to my cousin. Octavia looked shocked. For a moment she said nothing.

Outside, a Pokémon screamed. A black-and-blue spear pierced through the windows, raining glass down upon our heads. One of the Skarsgard soldiers broke away from his group to hunt down the attacker.

“I’ve just received intel from Valerius that Pokémon from King Pedro's Tunnels are offering their support,” the Queen said, “is this information reliable?”

A slight pause, before Braze said: “They brought us here from the Goldenwater. They gave us new arms and armour. We can trust them for now.”

“For now?” she said; she didn't sound pleased with his answer.

Markus began explaining Mr. Finley’s demands. Octavia held up her hand.

“Fine. I don’t have time to worry about bureaucracy right now. We can deal with this jackass when the battle is won. Right now, you five will follow me and the Topazium Platoon up to the sixth floor. The Royal Guard are stationed at all exits incase the slimy fuckers try to escape.” She gave the rest of us a cursory glance. “Your friends can come with us, but if they can’t keep up we leave them behind if. Valerius!” she called to a Kadabra waiting at the door. “Scan the area around the castle. If they try to teleport or use any magic tricks to slip past us, stick every spare soldier we have on them.”

The Kadabra bowed, and his body became a streak of light as he Teleported away.

“Commander Winters, you hereby have full charge of the Enderpyres for the duration of the battle.”

Braze nodded.

The Queen gestured to the staircase. “We’ll use the stairs. If we attempt to approached from the air they’ll see us coming from a hundred-and-fifty feet away, and one of our new friends informs me they’ve already set up and aerial guard around the sixth floor. Our own General Nicholson has corroborated. Besides, we need as many strong Pokémon as we can get up there, now that Byrne’s gone.”

“Is that it?” I said. “Feather is dead, and all you have to say is “Braze is in charge now, let's use the stairs instead?” That’s _it_?! Are you _kidding me_?!”

Octavia didn't even look at me. “You can mourn him when this is _over_ , Alex.”

“I can mourn him whenever I _want_ , and you can’t take _that_ away from me too!”

“Keep this up and you’ll have a hell of a lot more of us to mourn when this is all over!”

_HOOOOOOMMMMMMH_.

The arguing stopped. A wide-eyed Archen swooped down through one of the shattered windows, bowed before the Queen.

“The Cross Paladins have arrived, Your Majesty,” she said.

The Cross Paladins, Asa told me, were Varia allies from the glacier region. Skarsgard allies were supposed to have intercept them along the way.

“Fucking hell,” Octavia growled. “Right, get your asses up to the second floor. Go! Move! And I swear to _Moltres_ if I have to deal with another Giant up there…”

The Queen, the Grande Mage, the Enderpyres, the Victory Hunters, and the Topazium Platoon, a group of heavily armed-and-armoured Pokémon dressed in bright orange-and-yellow, thirty strong, raced up the staircase to the second floor. A Roselia in their ranks was hit by an Air Cutter attack, and fell. Octavia struck ordered Asa to use one of the Life Stars; it glowed, and halo of golden energy surrounded us. The light from the Life Star shrunk and died, leaving it a dull beige husk. The Roselia pushed herself back up, and the rest of us were restored. Even so, with the effort of dodging stray attacks and deflecting Varia soldiers who slipped through the gaps or climbed up over the bannisters, the stairs alone took a lot of energy out of us.

“How many… damn… steps… do you… _ugh_ ,” Harriet gasped.

“It would be easier if you stopped talking,” said Fortis.

I raced up with my head down, almost leaping from step-to-step. The were stairs built for a Charizard, not a Charmander.

“He might still be…” Tobias began, then caught the look in my eye, and stopped. “Sorry.”

“Don't be,” I panted. Running while angry is a very effective way of running out of breath. “It’s her that should be sorry. We lost Feather on a mission that _she_ sent us on. I know what Avalon said about everyone's lives having the same value but… it was _her_ mission. _She_ should have been there. _She_ should have put her life in danger as well! Instead of _him_!”

“That’s not like you, Alex.”

“My cousin is gone because of her.”

“And now we’re fighting for her.”

“We are _not_ fighting for _her_!” I shouted. Tobias flinched.

Octavia looked over her shoulder at us. I met her eye, unafraid. She clenched her jaw, but didn't say anything.

The second floor was the armoury. We had to pass through four corridors to make it up the stairs. The towers had been filled with rocks, rubble, scrapped machinery, traps, and, occasionally, Pokémon.

There were twice as many Varias as Skarsgards.

“We need reinforcements,” said Octavia; even her speaking voice was loud enough to carry across the chaos. She turned around. “Oh what the hell is that?”

The staircase had been consumed by a multi-coloured, opaque, writhing void. It was surrounded by a glowing blue outline.

Markus picked up a lump of rock and tossed it in. The rock vanished. No one was getting through this way.

The Varias charged us. Nate lit the room with another Sunny Day ball. I hissed through my teeth and covered my eyes. Again I heard that sizzling sound.

A Gliscor grabbed me by the tail and tossed me into a window, leaving a large crack. I landed on my hands and knees. The Fang Scorpion Pokémon’ claws glowed a hard steel-grey as they grew to twice their size. On the inside were smooth, sharp edges. My eyes widened. I knew what that was.

That was a Guillotine.

The Gliscor was inches away. I breathed in deep and put all my strength into one glowing Flamethrower attack. She tried to swerve away but the stream was too wide and the fire swallowed her. She fell in a charred heap to the ground. I had knocked her out with one hit.

During that brief scuffle I had become completely separated from all my friends. Larger Pokémon in Skarsgard armour duelled larger Pokémon in Varia armour; I looked left and right but I could only see the heads of the Mega Pokémon sticking out at the end of the hall. I think I heard Bonnie’s voice coming from somewhere, but I can’t be sure.

“Tobias!” I called. "Tobias, where are-”

I was knocked off my feet. My chin banged against the ground and I spit out blood. I looked up. A Varia Charizard stood over me. He pressed my head down with one hand and reached under my tunic to rip the Charizard-Fang from around my neck with the other. I tried to trap him in a Fire Spin, so he grabbed my by the mouth and slammed me into the wall. Flames escaped through his fangs and he breathed in deep.

Khan was racing towards me. A Daruma Darmanitan grabbed him by the neck, and dragged him to the ground. Brick Break knocked her out cold in one quick swipe. Then four more Varias showed up to pin Khan down.

Fire Blast crushed me against the wall. The Charizard let me drop, put the Fang around his neck, and left me there. The straps on my shield had burned away, and it clattered against the floor.

I forced myself to my feet. I stumbled along after him. I grabbed my by the tail, and he crushed me into the wall again, then kicked me in the stomach. He was readying another Fire Blast, the one to knock me out for good, when Water Gun hit him in the face. Tobias had stolen a whip and he lashed it around the Charizard’s horns, dragging his head down. He pulled and struggled; I grabbed the Fang and Tobias let go just as the Varia jerked his head forward so that he ended up ramming it against the wall.

Niamh took a Hydro Pump to the back, and went sprawling across the floor. Asa’s healing aura died and he ran to her side. The Poliwrath’s wild broadsword swing sliced him across the face, sending blood spraying. Vine Whip slapped her to the ground and he saw to his patient. A Life Star glowed.

Octavia kicked a Vibrava in the face. Before her foot even landed on the ground a Honedge cut her across the back of the neck.

We were still overwhelmed.

The Queen grabbed the Honedge by the handle and drove her into the wall.

“We need to get rid of that portal!” she barked.

“We need magic!” said Atlas. “That has to be incredibly powerful sorcery!”

“Or just a clever trick,” said Coast.

A Vigoroth swung a warhammer down on her tail. Octavia roared, slashed him with her sword, and finished him with Blast Burn.

“I don’t give a damn what it is!” she yelled after a few seconds of recharging. A Servine readied Solar Beam, and she stamped him into the ground. “Find out who’s controlling it and _stop it!_ ”

Tobias’ Rapid Spin hit an Azumarill in the stomach. There was a loud _clinking_ sound. She brought her mace up under him. He was dazed for a moment, and she fired Aqua Tail; Tobias stayed where he was to protect a Charmeleon’s tail. He retaliated with Ice Beam, aiming at the same spot. _Clink clink clink clink clink_.

That was it!

“They’re wearing something!” he called out. “There’s something metallic under their clothes!”

The Salazzle’s scimitars cut through a Frogadier’s tunic. She struck him in the stomach with Poison Jab.

“This one has it too!”

Asa lifted the Frogadier’s head up, inspected the band fixed around his torso. A Purugly leapt out at him. He smacked her away with his vine.

“An Aura Channel,” he said. “They must all be wearing one!”

Markus pried one of the bands free from an unconscious Lampent’s body. Even for him, it took considerable effort. He crushed it between his palms, shattering the jewel inside.

No difference.

“They’re all a part of it!” said Asa. “We’d need to remove each and every one!”

“We don’t have _time_ for this!” Octavia barked, clashing swords with a Pangoro. She overpowered her, kicked her into a pillar. “Find a way to get rid of it and _fast_.”

He exhaled. “Yes, your highness.”

“What _is_ that thing?” asked Khan.

“An Aura Warp,” said Asa. “It channels the power of a Pokémon’s aura, and it warps things. That’s pretty much it.”

“How do we get rid of it?” asked Braze.

“Please, let me think for a moment…”

“Aren’t you the Grande Mage?” Harriet exclaimed, as Cacnea jumped on her head and grabbed her by the trident. She rammed her head into a pillar and the grass-and-dark-type dropped. She rubbed her head. “Can’t you just “magic” it away?!”

There was a flash of impatience on the Bulbasaur’s face. “It’s really not that _simple_. This is a _completely_ different kind of magic than the one I wield. I have no knowledge of its power level, its origin, its purpose, its _control_ -”

A Gothorita with a blue-stoned band hit him in the eyes with Psybeam. Razor Leaf cut her down; Harriet took the band from her wrist and crushed it between her Steel Wings. The outline of the portal flickered, and became just slightly thinner.

Asa’s eyes widened.

“The master aura!” he exclaimed. “That’s what it is! See that blue outline? _That’s_ how it’s so well-controlled!” he squinted. He turned to the Skarsgards. “We need three cool-sky-blue auras! Find three Pokémon with pale-blue stones in their bands!”

The Varias, of course, turned on the defensive. They weren’t giving up their bands no matter what.

“Can’t you sense their auras, or something?” I said.

“I’m a mage, Alex,” he said, “I don’t have any experience with auras. That’s an _augurer_.”

Agatha cut a Varia Pignite across the face with her Exscalloper. “We need to put them to sleep,” she said, then ducked under her opponent’s spear and struck him in the stomach with the handle. “We can search them all at once that way!”

“Does anyone know a move that can do that?” I said.

“I do,” said Asa, “but I’d need to deliver the attack quickly across the whole room! It would put everyone to sleep at once!”

“We need some kind of wind attack!” said Khan.

“I know the move Heat Wave!” said Atlas. “Asa! Prepare the Sleep Powder!”

Asa’s bulb glowed pale-yellow. Atlas took to the air. The Skarsgards cleared a path to the end of the hallway.

“Fire!” Octavia barked.

Asa’s bulb erupted and Atlas flapped his wing; a furious orange gale picked up, burning away at the cloth Varia banners hanging from the walls. Sleep Powder sped through the corridor. The pale-yellow dust settled, and Skarsgards and Varias both dropped to the floor.

There was a flash of gold. Suddenly I was wide awake.

The Skarsgards were searching each of the unconscious Pokémon, tearing at their clothes and armour.

A Scraggy lay flat on her face, limbs splayed. I checked to make sure her pulse was still there. It was.

Then I noticed the shield strapped to her wrist. The Varia sigil, but with two great big rents across the steel in an X-shape, some kind of battle damage.

I fixed it to my arm. Octavia looked down at me.

“To match your sword?” she asked.

“Huh?”

She drew Hunter out of its sheath. She took the dagger strapped to her belt and drew an X-shape across both sides, then handed it back to me.

“ _That_ can be your new personal seal,” she said.

A band with a pale-blue stone was clamped around a Mawile’s second neck. Markus crushed the stone between two fingers. He dropped her back down on the ground.

I looked down at the unconscious soldier. I frowned. Most of her body was orange, with the exception of her mouth-like horns, a deep scarlet colour. She was a Ruby Pokémon.

Khan raised his head. “Do you hear that?”

Tobias, Asa, and I stopped to listen.

“It’s coming from outside.”

“A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A!”

The Heracross crashed through the window, tumbling to the floor. She lifted her head up.

“Dracen!”

“Eliza!” Khan knelt down, brushed the glass from her shoulders. “You found me!”

“Yes… this was on purpose.”

“Where are the others?”

Eliza pulled a Beat-Up Orb out of a Skarsgard-coloured bag, dropped it to the floor. Four more Pokémon came zooming through the window, landing right on top of her.

“Tu-duuuuuh!”

Octavia approached them. “You’re Alex’s Forest Pokémon, aren’t you?”

““ _My_ Pokémon”?” I said.

Roy stepped forward. He did the knightly thing, and bowed. He introduced them all in turn, then gave her their title.

She raised an eyebrow. “Forest Fires? Where did that come from?”

“We are something the Pokémon of the Forest believe shouldn’t exist.”

Alana raised her voice above Roy’s: “The Varia Pokémon are all headed to this building. They’re sending aerial scouts to check the windows so they can organise an ambush. They're pretty damn close, too. Your grace.”

Octavia nodded. “I expected no less. All right, come on, I think you’ve already earned your place at the cool table.”

Atlas was lying across the stairs, panting and sweating.

Amber stroked his head. “It’s all right, love,” she said, “you can rest now. You’ve done enough.”

Octavia carried on past him.

“Wait!” I called. “We can’t just leave him here!”

“The Varias won't touch him if he’s out of the battle,” the Queen said without looking back. “I know you’ve lost your memories, Alex, but now would be a damn good time to learn how war works between _Pokémon_.”

She carried on. We followed her up.

The third floor was dark. The windows were coated with black and the flames from our tails were the only things lighting the way. Only twenty of the Topazium Platoon had come with us; the rest would help defend the second floor. None of this was said directly to me, of course, but the Queen’s voice carried far.

Something shifted in the shadows.

“Atlas,” Octavia said, “use- ugh, never mind.”

Nate stepped up. “I can light up the room with Sunny Day, your grace.”

She waved him forward. Nate’s miniature sun lit up the room. For a full second we saw a long, empty hallway; columns, paintings, doors, suits of armour. Then the sun died.

Nate blinked. “W- It’s never done that before!”

Octavia sighed and shook her head.

“Let me walk ahead, your grace,” said Amber. She took a cautious step into the corridor.

_Click._

_Slam!_

The door to the second floor was shut. Markus growled, grabbed the handles and shook violently.

“Moltres damn it!”

They wouldn’t budge.

A flash.

A pause.

Then the darkness came to life.

Sableye jumped out of the walls, the floor, the ceiling, around every corner. Some of them jumped or climbed over us, others used Shadow Sneak to slip under out feet, and others clapped their hands in front of our faces, surprising us half a second long enough to run right under out noses. There were all headed towards one place, one Pokémon. Asa.

Of course. The Gem-user.

“Surround the Grande Mage!” Octavia ordered.”Your number one priority is his protection! Let me remind you that any one of our lives might depend on him tonight!”

I don’t think that any of us needed reminding.

_Slap!_

I flinched. The Sableye ran past. I hesitated another moment. This Sableye was a different colour. Was he a Shiny?

No. There was no mistaking it. That was a Forest Pokémon.

He scratched Asa across the back with Shadow Claw. One of the mage’s vines struck out and sent his opponent rolling across the ground. I took my chance and trapped him in a Fire Spin.

The band strapped to Asa’s bulb flashed; his body glowed pink, and his health was restored. One of the Sableye clapped her hands in front of his face. He didn’t flinch. Razor Leaf cut across her body and left her twitching on the floor.

Shadow Sneak struck him up under the stomach. In the split second the enemy was out of the shadows his Vine Whip grabbed onto the Sableye and tossed sideways him jut before two more ready to jump on him. Another slipped through and bit him in the bulb. Asa yanked them free. It left a tear.

Shadow Claw clashed with Metal Claw. I pushed the purple Pokémon onto his knees. Just a little further and I’d have him-

Why was he smiling?

A gut-punch from out of the shadows. Another mulberry-coloured Sableye landed next to her friend. They high-fived each other. I pushed myself to my feet, and took two Shadow Claws for it.

Tobias fired Ice Beam. Shadow Ball overpowered him and hit him in the face. Khan’s Fire Blast caught two of the dark-and-ghost-types at close-range. Another one jumped down and hit him with Knock-Off, and his helmet went clattering across the ground.

Fortis’ Blaze Kick slammed another into a column. Then her friend jumped on top of him, clawing at his eyes. Harriet pried her free but another one hit her with Confuse Ray. Instead of risking attacking Fortis at close-range, she lay down on the ground and let the Sableye swarm over her. 

Asa cut through another with Razor Leaf. Her ally hit him in the ribs with Zen Headbutt. Asa’s jaw clenched.

“I didn’t want to have to do this.”

The Gem on Asa’s forehead flashed silver, and the Sableye was frozen in place. Then a mulberry Sableye’s Power Gem hit him in the eyes. Another landed on top of his head and dug his claws in to try and rip the jewel free.

“Don’t!” he cried. He wrapped his vine around her ankle and hurled her into a column. The other two jumped at him, but Octavia grabbed them by the back of their heads and tossed them aside.

“Stop screwing around!” Octavia barked. “We need to eliminate them _all_! We’re losing too much _time_!”

Another one dropped from the ceiling. She tilted her head back so he landed on her crown, then yelped and fell to the ground, clutching his feet.

“I know you’re strong enough to take them, Asa!”

There was a moment’s pause. A look of genuine distaste crossed his face for a brief moment.

“Yes, your grace,” he said dully.

The Bulbasaur's bulb glowed with natural energy. The Skarsgard soldiers formed a protective circle. Three of the Darkness Pokémon slipped through and landed Power Gems at point-blank range. He didn't flinch.

Asa fired Solar Beam. Chartreuse-green lit up the corridor. Blue eyes flashed. The Sableye were there one moment and gone the other, pressed against the wall or clinging to the columns.

“They _all_ know Detect?!” said Coast.

“Of course they do!” said Octavia, holding off a mulberry-coloured with her shield. “They know they’re all too weak to counter him!”

She pushed him away. More kept coming.

“We can’t stop them!” said Khan. “Tell me you have a plan!”

Octavia looked at the ground. “Ugh, this is going to cost me a fortune. Coast!”

“Ma’am,” Coast answered.

“Dig!”

The Barbaracle burrowed burrowed into the ground, just shallow enough not to break right through the floor.

“Backs to the walls!” Octavia ordered.

Coast zigzagged through the ground. The Sableye dodged or Detected or sunk into the shadows out of her way.

“ _Kekekekekekekekekekekeke_.”

The room grew a little bit brighter. Will-o-the-wisps were floating down the corridor. The Sableye looked at one another, confused.

_Fwooooooooooooooooshshshsh!_

Fire exploded out of the cracks in the ground. It followed the wisps’ trail, setting the whole corridor on fire. Hoards of Sableye were caught in the blaze.

One of them was clinging to the pillar. He looked down at me, stupefied.

I just looked back. I could have grabbed him and tossed him into the fire. I don’t know what exactly stopped. But strangely, I’m glad that it did.

Octavia’s Air Slash cut down a soldier per second. Asa’s Vine Whip slapped down those bold enough to keep coming for us. The rest was clean-up.

_Crack._

“We need to move,” Octavia said, ”the floor's collapsing.”

“What about your friends?” Khan asked. Coast, Amber, and Sapphire were still underground.

“They're trained warriors,” she snapped back, “they can survive a two-story fall. Move, that's an order!”

The others followed her up, but Khan, Tobias, and I stayed behind.

My partner put a hand on my arm. “We aren't leaving them behind,” he said. “You heard her, they’ll be okay on their own.”

Khan was looking up at the door to the fourth floor that Markus was pushing open. “They’ll probably be safer than the rest of us.”

Varia fliers broke through the crumbling tiles. Octavia ordered five more Topazium warriors to block their way as best they could.

An Archeops led the Varia soldiers. She wore a diadem around her forehead; Dreigo gave them to the Pokémon he intended to make lieges. I couldn't tell you how I even know that. She summoned a Rock Slide that crashed down over Octavia’s head. Markus raised his arms to protect her, but they were both knocked off their feet and down the stairs into the gaping hole below us.

The band around Asa’s forehead flashed silver. The Queen’s fall stopped short. But it could only hold on to her, which left Markus to dig his fingers into the remains of the floor.

Alana’s Psychic took hold of him and lifted him into the air.

The Archeops dodged our attacks or cut through them with Sky Attack. He was heading straight for the Emboar, ready to finish him off.

Eliza countered Sky Attack with Aerial Ace. Then she disappeared in a ball of lightning, and Roy was there instead. Thunderbolt struck the First Bird Pokémon at close-range and she fell back down through the perished floor. But more Pokémon were coming.

“We don’t have long if we want to avoid an attack from behind,” said Khan.

“We don’t have long _your grace_ ,” Octavia said forcefully.

I’m guessing she wouldn’t like if she knew that I was calling her “Octavia” this whole time. Oh well.

The rooms on the fourth floor had been emptied out and replaced with jail cells. Every single one of them. There were at least a hundred Pokémon trapped inside, maybe more. They were all in an artificial slumber. Except for a Honchkrow that must have had the ability Insomnia, who instead was bound and gagged.

“I know you,” said Octavia, “you’re a Varia solider. What are you doing in there?”

The Honchkrow just glared at her.

Octavia shrugged. “Don't answer, then.”

“She _can’t_ answer, she's bound and gagged,” said Khan.

Octavia met his eye. “You're starting to get on my nerves, you are,” she said flatly.

“We can’t just leave her like that!” said Asa. He approached the cage, and spoke gently. “If we let you out, you have to promise not to turn on us. Escape while you still can and don’t look behind you.”

“Because if you so much as look at us the wrong way, we’ll drop you back in here with two broken wings, understood?” It was a harsh way of putting it, but at least she was willing to compromise.

The Honchkrow nodded.

“Alessandro!” said Markus. A Charmeleon was lying on his stomach on the other side. “Hang on, kid, I’m here.” He grabbed onto the bars. “ _OooooooOW!_ ”

The bars gave off a strong electric shock that made his body shudder. He tried again.

“ _Fffffffffrick_!”

“Try using the _fake_ one, Markus,” said the Queen.

He grabbed onto one of the bars. His prosthetic insulated against the electricity, and he managed to pry it open. His arm hung through the bars. “I can’t reach! Moltres _damn it_!”

Alana’s Psychic lifted Alessandro and brought him closer to the bars. Markus went down on one knee and gave him a “gentle” slap to the face.

“Wake up!” he said. “Wake up!”

The Charmeleon groaned, opened one eye. “Did we win?”

“Give me an hour, hour and a half,” said Octavia. “Why were they keeping you in there?”

The Charmeleon mumbled something incomprehensible. Markus put a hand on his shoulder.

“You need to tell us, Allie,” he said, surprisingly soft, “this is important. I mean, they dedicated an entire _room_ to this, and a _hell_ of a lot of electric energy. You need to tell us why they put you here.”

“We’re _bait_ ,” Alessandro said, rubbing his eyes, “the bars are designed to be unopenable. They’re trying to keep you here. That’s what she told me,” he nodded to the Honchkrow, “before they tied her up.”

Octavia snorted. “I knew Dreigo had a low opinion of me, but I didn’t realise he thought I was so-”

“Vex is here. Down the corridor. I saw them dragging him in.”

Her mouth hung open. She turned and bolted.

At the other end of the floor, a Dusknoir was lying on his back, his head at an awkward angle. The room was too small for him. It was roughly the size of a larder.

Her eyes were wide, and her voice wavered: “Markus, can you pry the bars open?”

A spring sprang from Markus’ shoulder blade. The plates fell from his knuckles and his arm dangled from his torso.

“No.”

Khan hit the bars with Brick Break. He froze in place, trembling head-to-toe-to-tail. He was paralysed. It wasn't an electric-type attack, then.

Octavia growled in frustration, smacked him around the back of the head to free him.

"Your grace, we may have to-” Braze began.

“ _Don’t_ ,” Octavia snapped, “just _don’t._ ”

Art tried at the bars as well. They couldn't be paralysed, but they still weren't strong enough to shift them.

“Why don't we try a long-range attack?” said Tess, the first Victory Hunter to speak up in a while. I think most of them were a little cautious of speaking over our leaders. I can’t say I blame them.

“Long-range attacks might damage him,” Baz pointed out.

“Is he a ghost-type?” Bucky asked.

“Yes,” Octavia said, an edge of hope to her voice, “he is, why?”

“Then a powerful normal-type attack wouldn’t hurt him, would it?”

The Queen sighed. “A normal-type move isn’t going strong enough to-”

Bucky fired Hyper Beam. The bars twisted and bent and blinding sparks flew. After a brief moment he took three steps back, lowered his horns, and charged. Enchanted Tackle _snapped_ the bars open.

He landed on his side and went skidding across the floor. Asa lifted the Dusknoir free; Octavia knelt down in front of him and lifted him into her arms. Alana’s Psychic carried Bucky out of the sleep-inducing cell.

Bucky didn’t wake up.

Striker pressed his ear to his chest. “He’s breathing,” he said. “But I don’t think he’s waking up soon.”

“I can heal him,” said Asa, already glowing pink.

“You need to heal _him_!” said Octavia, pointed to the Dusknoir.

_Bang._

Around the corridor, the doors creaked.

“We don’t have time for this!” said Braze. “They’re already here! We need to get to the next floor!”

Asa’s healing energy was almost ready.

_Bang. Bang. Bang._

The Varias were coming.

“ _Just do it, Asa!_ ” Octavia barked.

Asa closed his eyes and clenched his jaw. But he kept calm, and he placed his vines against both of the unconscious Pokémon. Bucky stirred. Khan helped him to his feet. Vex opened his eye and glanced around. Octavia held him.

“Are you okay?” she whispered.

Vex lowered his head. Asa placed his vine on Octavia’s back.

“He’s exhausted, your grace. We need to let him rest.”

“He’s not safe here.”

“Why are you worried about that now?!” I said.

“Because Vex was their _prisoner_!”

Art hovered up the staircase to the double-doors. They slipped their magnet through the handle. Suddenly there was a great crackling roar.

The prisoners were being electrocuted.

“What the hell is that?!” Octavia cried.

“Soldier, get away from the door!” Bonnie called.

The Magnemite couldn’t pull free. Alana’s Psychic yanked them away but they were already knocked out. Now the Victory Hunters were down to seven.

Until the Substitute faded and Art was hovering over our heads.

“I thought you’d been knocked out!” I told them.

“Sometimes it's better if you let people believe that,” they answered.

Varias were approaching around the corner. Eliza summoned a hoard of Double Teams to confuse them. The rest of us prepared to fight back.

“There has to be a switch,” said Bonnie, “Niamh, can you find it?”

Niamh put her hand on the wall, but it shocked her, and she yanked it away.

“I can’t touch anything!”

“They’ll have hidden it somewhere in the walls,” said Khan. “Roy, look for a toggle or a dial, or any kind of generator.”

“I have no concept of what any those words mean, but I will try.”

His eyes glowed yellow as he searched the room. He turned in a circle, scanned up and down, his tail flicking in frustration.

“I’m not detecting anything! All I can see it electricity!”

“I can find it,” said Vex, “I can destroy it.”

“We are not leaving you!” said the Queen.

“I’m the only one here who can move through the walls. If I use Shadow Punch I can destroy it from afar. You don't have the luxury of time to worry about me. You need to go, Octavia. _Please_.”

The Queen hesitated. The Varias had figured out Eliza’s trick. They rushed towards us, weapons raised, attacks charged.

My sword clashed with a Maractus’ gladius. A Bellsprout Wrapped around Tobias’ shell, but he blinded her with an Ice Beam. Khan’s Fire Blast burned through three soldiers at once. A Toxapex wrapped her body around Fortis’ chest and dragged him down; Harriet’s Steel Wing pried the Brutal Star Pokémon free and Hydro Cannon slammed her into the window, and her spike stuck right through the glass. Asa band glowed red, and Fortis’ poison was healed.

The rest of the Topazium Platoon formed a barrier between us and the Varias.

“We’ll hold them off for as long as we can, your majesty,” said the Roselia.

Octavia’s face dropped even more. “No. Sunniva-”

“We’ll be all right, your grace. You can trust us.”

There was a two-second pause, an achingly long time when a hoard of soldiers is charging at you. Then Octavia whirled around and stormed up the stairs She placed her hands on the door handles, snatched them away. They were electrified as well.

“Please stand back, your grace.”

Art Locked-On to the latch and Zap Cannon busted it open.

“Inside, now!” the Queen called. “That's an order!”

“The Honchkrow is still trapped,” I said out loud. But nobody heard me.

A stray Dragon Pulse came racing towards me; Khan blocked it with his fin and carried me put the stairs. Markus leaned against the door with his broken arm and pushed it open. The Varia soldiers backed away all at once. A Petilil wearing a diadem on her head ordered them not to take another step. Something sticky trickled down over our feet.

Something rancid. Rancid and purple.


	21. Nova Hall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here it is. The final chapter. I want to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who's read up until this point, both here and on FF.NET. This has been an incredible experience writing and posting this, and it's one I will truly never forget. Stayed tuned for the epilogue to Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Treasure Hunters of the Forest, out at 12pm BST next Friday. After that, a coda of five short chapters will be posted throughout the week, concluding this piece.
> 
> But the Treasure Hunters series is a long way from over.

_“A human sacrificed himself to save the Pokemon.” - Mewtwo, Mewtwo Strikes Back_

Overwhelmingly purple. The walls, the ceiling, the floor, the furniture, all coated in some strange, wet, sticky substance none of us could name.

Even Octavia hesitated at that door. Bonnie took the chance to be the hero and step in first. He shivered head-to-tail, but he kept his back straight and his head high.

Octavia strode in after him, but had to stop just beyond the threshold.

“Moltres’ great mercy…”

_Squelch._

Octavia recoiled in disgust. “What in the name of _hell_?”

Harriet touched the wall. “Ew, it’s _oil_! I hope!”

We followed her inside. The Skarsgards looked around with mingled revolution and awe. The stuff was everywhere, at least three inches deep on the floor, filling the cracks between the tiles, covering the windows so that no sunlight came through. Thankfully, torches lit the way.

The suits of armour and the paintings on the walls had been covered with plain fabric. Asa lifted one of the sheets. The painting was of an armoured Rapidash bringing a hoof down on a Mega Garchomp's face. Khan gave it a look of mild distaste. But Octavia sighed with relief; the canvas was untouched.

“At least they have some appreciation for art,” said Harriet.

“I'd say they’re just out to sell them,” said Agatha.

One of the doors had been removed. There was writing carved into a plaque fixed above: “Hall of Monarchs”. Octavia marched in.

Fifty statues; all different types of stone, all holding different weapons, all dressed in battle armour. All monarchs of Itori.

Twenty-four of them were Charizard, as well as four Charmeleon and two Charmander, and most besides were fire-types. One exception was a Luxray king. Roy sat before the statue, staring up at it in awe.

All but one bore the last name of “Skarsgard”. Civilian names were written below, and one in particular caught my eye. A male Charizard: Roark Skarsgard (née Albion). He stood proud and tall, head held high, with a longsword in his left hand and heater shield in his right.

Queen Octavia’s statue was the second-to-last. It was carved from obsidian, and depicted her with both hands on the pommel of her greatsword, chin up, eyes steely and focused. She was bulkier than most, had shorter wings than half, and her tail was slightly more curved at the top than the others. It was a spitting image.

The last statue was carved from jet. Like four of its predecessors, instead of a weapon, it was surrounded by sparks and flames, representing magic.

“This is sick,” said Octavia. She sounded genuinely hurt.

“Why don’t you just destroy it?” I said.

“No. It has to stay there. Twelve of the monarchs in this hall took the throne by force, and every single one is still here. It doesn’t matter _how_ he got the crown, what matters is that he _did_. Now he’s here forever.”

The statue depicted a round-featured, spread-winged, furious-looking Hydreigon. It didn’t really capture him. I kept that to myself.

Each room had a theme: plants, grown on different kinds of soil, or basking in candlelight, or watered with blood, or fertilised with… Moltres knew what.

Water, small tanks all containing different kinds of seaweed, algae, rocks, and coral; some changing colour, some eroding, some growing, some morphing into entirely new shapes.

Rocks carved with strange symbols, rocks ground into dust, rocks set alongside growth charts, rocks with the bones of Pokémon inside.

Then we came to a sticky-warm room, filled up with free-growing green plants and coloured flowers, an indoor cross between rainforest and a shrubland. In the centre, a giant vat of green liquid stretched from floor to ceiling; pipes ran to every corner and carried on through the walls.

“Asa?” I said.

He was staring at the bubbles rising in the vat.

“Asa?”

“I really dislike this Pokémon, Alex.”

That was all he had to say about it.

We approached the great hall.

“This was the ornamental centrepiece of Itori,” Bonnie said with mixed reverence and nervous anticipation. “Royal birthdays, celebrations of peace, celebrations of victory in war, balls for all the important holidays; _every_ knight, dame, and soldier knighted in Itori is brought here.”

“Can’t wait to see what he’s done with the place,” said Octavia. She and Braze pushed the doors open.

We covered our mouths. It was so much worse. The oil was as thick and congealed, drooping in disgustingly large globs down the wall, pooling across the floor, running down the fluted columns, dripping from the ceiling. The windows were coated so thickly that I couldn’t even tell you where they were.

Nate gagged. “Zapdos, I can hardly _breath_ in here!”

Tess shivered. “I can feeling myself rusting.”

“The air is _acid_ ,” Agatha said, screwing up her mouth.

“And it’s _freezing_ ,” said Niamh.

“And it _stinks_!” said Baz.

Ten suits of armour stood between the columns. At the far wall were four glass cases containing fossilised Pokémon; a Kabutops, Omastar, and Aerodactyl, as well as four fragments of different incomplete skeletons, and some kind of ancient fish Pokémon. Covering the far wall was Zweil Varia’s unique version of the Varia sigil; a black magician’s staff holding the image of an atom in a dark blue jewel, placed above the signature Varia mirror; arranged in tiles.

“Zweil’s laboratory…” Asa echoed Mr. Finley's words.

“It's the whole fucking _floor_!” Braze exclaimed.

Flames flared from Octavia’s mouth. “Of all the vile, conceited, _twisted_ things to do to my Castle! And where the bloody hell is my throne?!”

“He's only a prince,” Markus said, “but Dregio gave him an entire floor for… _this_.”

“He,” Queen Octavia spoke slowly, “is not a prince.”

The oil was thick and cloying. Art whispered to the Queen; she and stopped motioned for us to wait behind the door. We listened. There was no sound but the dripping, and the slime sliding down the walls.

Khan frowned. “The statues and the glass aren't covered…” he began.

“… But they’re _clean_ ,” Tobias finished.

Octavia shifted the sword in her grasp.

“Let one of us take the lead, your grace,” said Braze.

“Don't be a hero, Winters,” she said. “Especially not after what happened to the last one.”

The Queen took the first step into the hall.

Nothing happened.

We followed her through. Bucky came in last. The doors _squelched_ over the floor and slammed shut. We span around.

“Not me!" he said.

_Blub, blub, blub, blub._

I lifted one foot out of the muck. The oil was bubbling. But it wasn’t heating up, it wasn’t harming any of the non-fire types. No. It was turning to smoke.

“Oh Gods…” said Asa.

Eliza tried the door, to no effect. We raised our weapons and charged our attacks. The sound of steel scraping across steel echoed all around us. The suits were moving. The fossils jumped to life and broke through the glass. Smoky-oil filled the armour and wrapped itself around the skeletons.

The substance whirlpooled in the middle of the floor. It rose. It climbed, wobbled, grasped, pulled, took on form; it morphed itself into the shape of a Zweilous, twenty-feet tall. As big as a Dynamax.

Moltres above.

The two heads gave an ungodly roar. Boiling oil, burning smoke, and fluids crashing together. Each step towards us made small waves in the substance. The smaller Pokémon were hit in the face by the splashback, and it clung to our faces and spread over our arms and clothes. Smoke reached up past our heads while the oil at our feet was still thick and curdled.

“What the hell is that?!” Octavia demanded.

“It’s…" Asa began. He swallowed. “It looks like a Spectre, but it seems like it’s managed to form a physical-”

The “Zweilous” raised its forelegs and slammed them into the ground, creating a tidal wave.

It knocked me to the ground and the oil covered my tail. I gasped for air but none came. I pulled against the oil, scrambling for purchase; I found a wall and dragged myself up. I shook my tail as dry as I could. The flame had shrunk to half its size.

I looked up. My eyes widened.

“Tobias!” I called. “Tobias! _Tobias!_ ”

He emerged, gasping, oil soaked into his shell, coughing and sputtering.

“Your tail!” was the first thing he said.

Niamh’s Flame Burst hit me before behind. The oil at the tip was burned away, and life grew again.

“Thank you!” I said.

Niamh blushed. I think. It’s hard to tell, with the oil and everything.

An Incineroar’s hemp wrestler’s gear came charging at me, arms wide and gloves clenched, ready to grab me. I used Fire Spin. It dodged with ease, despite the slippery surface. The hemp Incineroar bent over me and grabbed me by the shoulders and flipped me over its head. I landed chin-first on the ground and slid across the oil. Thankfully, my tail stayed firmly upright.

Two manifestations of black energy; like whiskered, wingless dragons. It took the combined power of all the Skarsgard soldiers to counter. Fortis, Harriet, and the Forest Fires had the job of dealing with the suits and fossils.

The hemp Incineroar was trying to force my tail under the oil. Tobias grabbed it by the back of the tunic and pulled. It jerked away, took him by the tail, then slammed him to the ground. My partner shot into his shell, then came crashing into the suit’s non-existent torso.

A black Shock Wave struck us all at once, but it didn’t keep the others down. It wasn’t super-effective on Tobias, but it effected Khan. That meant that this time it was a null-type.

The Skarsgards attacked at once, tearing strips or punching holes or burning away the Zweilous’ “fur”. But no matter how much damage they did, it immediately reformed back to its original shape.

I slashed at the Incineroar with my sword; it pulled back, then caught the blade in its right hand. I twisted and pulled it away, leaving a tear across its palm. I slashed it across the face, leaving another scar over its right eye. Then I drove the sword through its heart.

It looked from the blade, to me. I stared back, motionless.

Bonnie ran head-down through the oil and smoke. His tail was radiating black energy. The Spectre was readying a Body Slam. The Houndour jumped, span, struck it in the chest. Foul Play sent the Zweilous’ energy right back into it. It might have been tossed onto its back had its heads not hit the ceiling. The Spectre roared, then Body Slammed back down onto the ground.

“ _Bonnie!_ ” Nate cried.

Asa's Solar Beam ripped a hole through its foot. Through the gap, we could see Bonnie lying on his side, more than half-submerged in the substance.

Alana tried using Psychic, but of course, Psychic doesn’t work on dark-types. Instead, Nate decided that he would rescue him himself.

The Skarsgards fired all at once at the Zweilous’ torso. Nate ducked low, so low that the oil splashed up into his nose, making him sneeze. He grabbed Bonnie by the ankle and dragged him free. The Spectre’s leg reformed but Octavia’s Air Slash left a gap big enough for Nate to run through. One of the heads launched a Dragon Pulse that burst right in the centre of the Skarsgard force, landing on their heads or splashing them with oil or blinding them with smoke. The other grabbed the two small Pokémon and tossed them into the air.

Striker grabbed them both in his talons. The head snapped at smoky air.

The Incineroar swiped my sword away with its large glove-hand and grabbed me by the ankles. It span in a circle once, twice, three times, never slipping on the oily-smoke, then finally threw me across the room. I managed to land on my hands on knees and went sliding over the floor. My tail bumped against one of the pillars. The Incineroar charged at me, arms pumping.

I blew a Smokescreen in its face. I gripped onto the slimy pillar and dragged myself to my feet. I ran around it, hoping to strike it from the back. I took slow, laborious steps; I raised my shield, ready for an attack, but none came. The smoke faded, and the hemp suit didn't appear. Where had it-

“Alex, behind you!” Baz cried.

I span around. But it wasn’t the Incineroar. The fossil Kabutops had its non-existent eyes fixed on me. It raised its scythes and ran. I parried one, but the other cut into my shoulder. I screamed as oily-smoke rose from my skin.

It sidestepped to dodge Tobias’ Rapid Spin. His shell went sliding away. A fossil Aerodactyl’s jaws snapped shut over him.

I tried to push past the Kabutops, but it shoved me away with one of his scythes, then cut up under my chin with the other. Good thing I had a helmet on. I tried trapping it in Fire Spin, but with a few quick strikes it swiped it clean away.

The Spectre Body Slammed down on top of the Skarsgards. They had to kick, crawl, and squirm their way out from under it. Then they had to turn back and rescue those still drowning in the oil. The Spectre unleashed another Shock Wave.

The black light blinded me for a moment and the Kabutops knocked the helmet into the oil. It really wanted my head. I blocked the scythes with my sword and shield. I heaved against it but the skeleton was stronger than I was. Fire was useless. So I headbutted it instead. It made my vision go black for a moment, but the skeleton turned its head away, almost like a natural response to pain.

I slashed with my sword, it blocked with the back of its scythe and pushed, so I brought my left arm to my chest and rammed my shield into its shin. The Kabutops’ back hunched over. I drove my sword into its neck. It got stuck around halfway. Not enough. The skeleton drove the points of its scythes into my sides. It cut through the tunic but the chainmail stopped it; it pressed in so hard and so sharp that I grit my teeth and growled in pain.

The Kabutops’ dead, empty eyes fixed on mine.

I stared back, unblinking.

The scythes pressed in deeper, threatening to break the steel.

I gripped the handle of my sword with both hands and pulled it out; it looked right just in time to see me slice right through the bone. The Kabutops’ skull _splashed_ to the floor.

Dragon Pulse exploded to our left and to our right. I cried out in pain and the Victory Hunters were knocked to the floor and the Forest Fires pulled back to recover and the Queen was forced onto one knee. She stood back up again, roared in anger.

We fired all at once at its torso. It just absorbed the blow into its body, and closed the hole right back up again.

“Articuno, this is _useless_!” Baz exclaimed. “That thing is just _oil_!”

“Well what do we do then?!” Tess cried. “What do we do?!”

“We need to deactivate the power source!” said Asa. “But I don’t know where it is!”

“Can’t you detect it?!” said Roy.

“No!”

“But you’re magic!” said Striker.

“Not all magic’s the same! You can’t detect Spectre magic with Gems any more than you can hear noises through a telescope!”

“Then figure something out!” Octavia yelled. “We aren’t going to win this with brute strength!”

Tobias’ Ice Beam broke through the Aerodactyl's jaws and he _splashed_ down into the oil. The Aerodactyl dived down for him but Khan’s Enchanted Giga Impact intercepted and they went flying across the room.

A bulky Charizard suit with elaborate flame patterns came charging at us. It swung its battleaxe, we threw ourselves to the ground to dodge. Our moves were getting slower and slower. I hid Tobias and I with Smokescreen and we ran before the blade came crashing down, sending oily-smoke into the air.

Tobias used Ice Beam. It blocked with the side of its axe and charged at us. The substance wasn't slowing it down at all.

“What now?!” we asked each other.

It raised its axe, we both ducked behind my shield, and the blade banged off the steel. I clenched my jaw against the pain as it swung again, and again, and again. Then my strength gave out and I fell onto my back. Oil splashed over my tail. It swung sideways and Tobias rolled across the floor, banging into one of the columns.

The Charizard swung its axe and I blocked with my Claws. The metal rang and tears blurred my vision. Tobias tried to push himself back up, slipped. The Charizard raised his axe above my neck.

Baz’s tentacles wrapped around its wrists. Wring Out pried them free, taking its weapon with it.

The Charizard roared. It closed its jaws around Baz’s head. Tobias hit its in the jaw with Water Gun. Baz dropped. The Charizard spun and knocked her away with its tail. Its gauntlets and axe floated up to reconnect with It body. It went for Tobias again.

I blew smoke at the Charizard and ran to Tobias’ side.

“Tobias,” I said. “Tobias, did it hurt you, are you…”

He was looking past me. The suit had fallen apart.

“It was the smoke,” he said. “We _separated_ it!”

The Zweilous’ Dragon Pulse crashed through the room. The Skarsgards countered, letting off smoke explosions and clouds of smoke into the air. We waited until the din faded.

“It’s smoke!” Tobias called to the others. “You just have to separate the steel from the smoke!”

Scar’s Razor Wind cut the tentacles off an Omastar fossil. They wriggled back to the main body, reattached with a _click_.

“What about these ones?!” she called.

It jumped at her and wrapped its tentacles around her body.

“Off with its head!” I yelled.

“It’s an _Omastar_!”

Then Niamh jumped on top of it, wrapping her legs around its shell. She raised her shield and brought it down across its ridged over and over and over again.

“How… else… do you… kill… a snail?!”

The Omastar fell apart. Agatha lifted Niamh out of the oil and brushed the shards from her clothing and armour. The Victory Hunters collapsed against each other, panting.

“For the record,” said Niamh,“I do not condone the murder of snails.”

“I don’t think Omastar are snails,” said Agatha.

“... I condone you shutting up.”

“I wouldn't have expected that from you!” I blurted out.

“Why would you?” the Pansear said without looking at me. “You don't know me.”

There was an uncomfortable silence, but it was quickly drowned out by a great clattering, banging, splashing. The suits were collapsing all around us. Fire-type attacks were swallowing them whole, and the smoke-oil holding them together choked and died. The Kabutops’ scythes _clicked_ back into place and lifted its head up to its neck only to fall apart again as Octavia’s Blast Burn swallowed it. The Aerodactyl was picked apart and scattered across the hall. The Omastar was a pile of dust, and the four fragments were in even smaller pieces.

But there was still one missing.

“Watch out!” Scar cried. “Alex!”

The fossil leapt out of the oil, spraying it down onto our heads.

“ _What the hell is that?!_ ” I yelled.

“It’s a Magikarp!” Tobias exclaimed.

“A _Magikarp?!_ ”

It was a big ol’ Magikarp. We ducked and jumped out of the way. Its tail slapped Scar in the face, denting her helmet in. The skeleton splashed back down into the pool. Looking closely I could see it moving through the purple, circling us with zigzagging movements.

“It’s the Elderkarp,” I said.

“We are not calling it the Elderkarp,” said Scar, shaking the damaged helmet off her head.

The Elderkarp jumped at us. Bones shot out of its mouth at jagged angles to form three rows of fangs. It missed us by inches. It landed, swerved, jumped again, banged against my shield.

“Gut that fish!”

“It’s a skeleton, Alex,” said Tobias.

“We’re going to die, Tobias!”

It jumped again. I pulled back. I slipped.

Tess placed herself between the skeleton and I and hardened her body with Iron Defence. The Elderkarp’s teeth scrapped against her skin. The Elderkarp dove back down, flicked its tail to splashed our eyes with oil, blinding the Forretress at a crucial moment.

Scar sprinted towards us, horn glowing. The Elderkarp leapt at her, she swerved to dodge, but she slipped and fell onto her side. The Elderkarp swivelled around and chomped down on her shoulder. Scar screamed. Art blasted it away with Zap Cannon. Baz and Tess helped to her feet. She took a deep breath, wiped the blood from her fur.

“I’m all right,” she said to the room at large, “I’m all right.”

Next the Elderkarp targeted Tobias. He ducked into his shell just in time, and the skeleton gnawed mindlessly at the carapace.

Bonnie’s Iron Tail knocked it free and Nate’s Fire Punch slammed it into the column. Baz’s Octazooka held it in place while Tess’ Gyro Ball smashed its skull in.

Nate picked me back up. Bonnie wiped the substance from the top of my tail.

“Are you okay?” asked the Shiny Charmander.

“I’m okay, thank you.”

“That was some impressive combat, soldier,” said the Houndour.

I blushed. “Ah, it was mostly Tobias.”

“Take cover!” two voices cried at once.

Body Slam brought another tidal wave crashing down on us. Bonnie shielded Nate’s flame with his body, while Tobias grit his teeth and clasped mine in his hands. This time we stayed upright, but the stuff had drenched us. I wiped it from my eyes. When I could see clearly again, a gasp escaped.

Oily-smoke rose from the suits, from the fossils, from the Spectre Zweilous. They twisted and funnelled into the Abomasnow’s white-steel suit, its its two gauntlet. They rattled free and lifted into the air, fingers curling, then shot out too fast to dodge. They Octavia and I by the throats.

My veins bulged, and turned a ghostly white. My mouth frothed, my body was lifted off the ground. Pokémon were calling my name. The light behind my head was dimming… My vision was turning to white, pure white…

“ _Alex!_ ”

Tobias ran to my side. I cried out in protest but he reached up and grabbed the white hand in his own. But instead of white cords running through his body, the hand shuddered, and yellow vein-like lines ran through the steel, until it came away and fell limp and lifeless to the ground.

We stared at each other for a brief moment. Then Tobias reached up and freed Octavia from its grasp. The other hand _splashed_ to the floor. The three of us stood there, stunned.

Then the Zweilous’ foot came crashing down on top of Tobias and I. He screamed and held up his hands. They smacked against the Spectre and yellow tendrils coursed through its body. It pulled away and roared, outraged.

Asa was watching at us in pure awe.

The Zweilous summoned a dark dragon’s head in each mouth.

Tobias’s body radiated energy as a yellow-tinted Ice Beam crashed up under the Zweilous’ left chin. Asa’s yellow Razor Leaves cut gaps through its right. The yellow was sinking deeper and deeper in, until it raised both feet to Body Slam to the ground. Octavia’s tail knocked us out of the way just in time, and she took the hit for us.

Tobias and I helped each other to our feet.

“Tobias!” Asa called.

He gestured to the spectre Pokémon clambering to its feet. To the spot between its heads, the spot right down the middle. Tobias’ body glowed. His eyes turned a bright sunshine-yellow.

The Zweilous was preparing a Shock Wave attack. Asa’s Vines snapped shut around its right neck. Then Braze’s greatsword pierced through its left.

“Tobias!” Asa cried, bracing himself against the spectre’s weight. “Use Rapid Spin!”

“Tobias!” I said, at the exact same moment. “Use Ice Beam!”

And both commands clicked in his brain, and at the moment he lifted himself off the ground he unleashed a burst of ice-type energy that pinwheeled through the air. He struck the Spectre right down the middle, sawing through its smoky-oil, oily-smoke body. Light flooded through its body from its torso to its feet up to its tails up its necks to its faces, until it had consumed it, and lit the room up sunlight-yellow.

The gauntlets dropped to the ground. The skeletons collapsed and the suites of armour fell in on themselves.

The Zweilous roared a desperate roar. It threw its head back as its body collapsed, its cries growing more and more pathetic as it shrunk into a bubbling pool of oil. It was clawing at the ground, its feet _splashing_ against the substance. Its face melted away, black oil dripping from its mouth and where its eyes might have been. The Spectre’s heads puddled below us, gave one last high-pitched screech, and sunk into the floor.

The floor was still oily, but only on the surface level. The suite pieces had been beaten in or cracked apart. The fossils were in pieces. Octavia tenderly picked up the beaten-in Elderkarp skull.

“This was one of the only two Primal Magikarp fossils ever found. And the other is with _them_ now.”

“Where else would they be keeping it?” I asked.

“I’m not talking about the Varias.”

Braze immediately changed the subject: “We have several soldiers sustaining minor-to-moderate injury,” he said, “how many healing items do we have?”

“I have enough to bring us all to just over half-HP,” said Asa, “if we’re rationing equally.”

“We’re not,” said the Queen. “Heal the two of us and the Enders to seventy-five-percent and ration away anything you have left. Status healers?”

“Drained. If we have any soldiers with status conditions-”

“We don’t,” she said with the briefest look at the remainder of her entourage, “but if any of the lower-ranks are poisoned or burned, don't waste your HP healers on them. Life Stars?"

“Two left, your grace.”

“Keep it that way. We’ll save them for when it matters.”

“This doesn’t matter?” I said. “He could probably heal us all if he used the Life Stars as well! This is the penultimate floor, _this_ is the time to use our healing supplies!”

“We use them when I say we use them,” Octavia snapped, and a flicker of blue embers flew out of her mouth. “They’ll be safe on this floor, _we_ won’t. Use those things in the wrong place at a time like this and you'll end up getting somebody _killed_. These are basic battle tactics, _Sir_ Alex, and you should know them by now.”

I put my hands to my temples, exasperated. “I have-”

“Yes, yes, yes, you have amnesia! I haven’t forgotten that, as it happens, but it actually seems like _you_ have. Hah, isn’t that ironic?”

I opened my mouth so speak but she jabbed a finger to my forehead and spoke over me: “And you _should_ remember these things, but you _don’t_ , which means you’re not a soldier, which means you have no say _what-so-ever_ in how we proceed. You are talking about things you do not understand. I’d thank you to remember _that_ , at least.”

I grit my teeth. I was getting no support from the other Skarsgards, not when it came to arguing with their Queen, and any of the others she’d shoot down just the same. “I’ll remember.”

Her face was a couple of inches from mine. I could see the embers forming in her mouth. “I’ll remember, _your grace_.”

Asa could sense the presence of other living beings through the door. The sixth floor was, naturally, crawling with Varias. But _her grace_ had a way around them. A corridor, connecting every room on the sixth floor. All we needed was a distraction.

Braze opened the door a crack. Art, the only one of us dressed in all-black armour without a spot of orange, slipped into to the hallway.

There was a loud _thump_.

“Help!” the Magnemite cried; they sounded shockingly genuine. “He’s fallen down! I think he’s fainted!”

Varia Pokémon ran down the corridor. Two Pokémon, a Carkol and a Drizzile, were left in charge of watching the door. Octavia walked through and after a flash of orange and two strangled cries, she waved us along. We slipped in after her. She placed her hand on the wall and with a slight _click_ , the secret door revealed itself and slid silently into the wall. We followed her through into a dark, undecorated tunnel. There was a network of hidden passages connecting the rooms of the sixth floor.

“If any of you tells a single Pokémon alive or dead about this,” said Octavia, “you can kiss your knighthood and your welcome in the crownlands _goodbye_.”

Our first stop was the door to Royal Suite. The Queen took a deep breath and slid the panel back.

The Royal Suite was in pieces. Broken glass everywhere, furniture purposefully broken beyond repair, silken bed canopy ripped to pieces, cotton pulled from the mattress. The headboard was an elaborate illustration of the Legendary Moltres, carved into cherry oak wood. It was split in half and had a black “BURN iN HELL” written on it in some ink Pokémon’s writing, with a tiny crown dotting the “i”.

“Asa, you have a patient,” she said, then went to the grimy window, the only thing in the room only cracked and not broken entirely.

A Purrloin lay curled up on the canopy bled, bleeding from her abdomen. She hissed at Asa when he approached. She was dressed in black-and-blue hemp armour.

“It’s okay,” he said gently, “I’m here to help you.”

Asa’s healing Gem shone, travelling up his body and to his vines. The Purrloin mustered a Snarl attack. The Grande Mage didn’t so much as flinch, just closed his eyes and let it pass over him. He stroked her head with his vine, and her body changed hue.

The Devious Pokémon clawed at the duvet and tried to pull away, but was too weak to move. There was a glowing, a sparkling.

Asa smiled. “You're going to be fine.”

She stared down at her wound, quickly healing over. The purple fur grew back on her stomach and she placed her paw on it, incredulous.

“Get some rest now.” He scattered a Sleep Powder over her head, and she flopped back down onto the bed.

Asa crossed over to the window. Braze picked him up and placed him on the windowsill.

“Many thanks.”

The battle was destroying the city. Buildings were collapsing. Soldiers was falling. Citizens were screaming.

Pokémon at the top of the hill overlooking the city were operating large cylindrical machines; they were painted all different colours, and were shaped like the heads of dragon Pokémon. An Earthspringer Flygon and a Skarsgard Incineroar called orders to the Pokémon operating the controls.

Earthspringers in mud-and-silver armour were trapping Varias and dragging them down into the earth. In large groups they could capture whole squadrons and carry them away with them. But to be frank, they weren’t making a massive difference in terms of numbers. Considering the sheer _size_ of that place, it looked Mr. Ayers had sent out less than half of his Pokémon.

Then our view darkened as black clouds filled the sky. Lightning cracked and turned the city blue with every flash. A colossal hoard of Dragonite flew over the Castle walls, bringing a terrible storm with them. Fifty of them, maybe more.

The Skarsgard Dragoons aimed, fired. A deep-pink wall of light appeared below the Dragonair, and the attacks bounced right off them, down onto the city streets and buildings and the soldiers battling below.

“What the hell was that?!” said Braze.

“A Mind Shield,” said Asa. “It’s a ten-second shield that reflects anything short of a Legendary attack. It’s called a Mind Shield because it harnesses the power of the mind. It’s popular with psychic-type sorcerers, but useable by any.”

“I thought anti-magic was yellow,” said Octavia.

“That’s a different kind of magic, your grace,” Asa said patiently. “You're thinking of Gem Magic, this is Thaumaturgy.”

Octavia huffed. “I can never keep track of all that hocus pocus.”

“That’s Mana.”

“Fantastic news for someone who cares.”

The Skarsgard Incineroar was yelling at their soldiers, who were frantically working at the gears of their machines. Fifty Thunder attacks crashed down on them, blinding them all for long enough for an ambush of Varia soldiers to swarm them.

“They completely absorbed our Dragoons,” said Braze.

“Remarkable observational skills, Winters.”

“Their timing was _impeccable_ ,” he continued.

“Maybe they knew exactly when we were going to fire,” I suggested.

“What makes you think that?”

“Remember what happened to Avalon?” I said quietly. I don’t know why, every conscious Pokémon in the room knew what had happened to her.

Braze nodded to the window. “Get up here.”

I grabbed onto the ledge, slipped. Braze placed me beside Asa and pointed to one of the Dragoons, a yellow-and-green one shaped like a Druddigon.

“Your grandfather on your dad’s side helped build that one. Oeric. He was a Charmander too.”

“Was?”

Braze looked at me, back at the Dragoon. “It’s name’s Dame Medolith. They’re all stylised and named after famous historical figures from our kingdom. Except a whole half of them are fucking Charizard, so they're not all as unique as your uncle’s.”

“They all have different styles,” said Octavia, “they still _look_ different.”

“Fantastic news for someone who cares.”

Amazingly, Octavia didn’t snap back at him. She just huffed, and a small puff of smoke escaped her nose.

“When did Oeric die?” I asked.

“Tch. Must have been…”

“When you were seven,” Asa said. “I remember coming to the funeral with you.”

“Was he old?” I asked.

“Seventy-two,” said Octavia. “Dawn 8th to Black 11th, 140 A.S.”

“That makes me…” I thought for a worrying long time. “ _Eighteen?!_ ”

“You're eighteen?” said Tobias.

“You’re _eighteen_?!” Fortis and Harriet said at the same time.

“A full adult by human standards,” said Asa.

There was an unpleasant smile on Octavia’s face. “I was already a Charizard and a veteran soldier by the time I was half your age.”

“Ah, that’s nice. When I was nine years old I had friends.”

Smoke fumed from her nostrils. Braze concealed a chuckle.

“You don’t even _remember_ your friends!”

“Tch, I don’t, unfortunately. But you sure as hell remember me.”

Octavia put her hand to her temples. “I can’t deal with this child right now. I’m going to go count how much jewellery they haven’t stolen already. I shouldn’t be long.”

She stormed over to where her jewellery cabinet, that's right, jewellery _cabinet_ , had been cleanly disassembled so that its contents could be picked bear. Bonnie grabbed a torn piece of the curtain and dutifully swept away the broken glass so that the Queen could kneel down in front of it. Asa hopped off the windowsill to check the other soldiers for injuries.

“I’m not a child,” I said, to no one in particular.

“Words only ever spoken by children,” said Braze.

“I am a fully-independent Pokémon, thank you very much!”

“That's the same thing you said right before we found out you were stealing money from your parents,” he said, and chuckled. Then he looked back at me. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for. I shouldn't have mentioned your parents. You and your thieving though,” he added with a smile.

I turned to look back out the window. “They miss me, don’t they?”

“Seems to be that way. But they made their choice and you made yours. You’re alive, and that will have to be enough for them.”

Outside the window we could see the fliers ripping into each other. A Skarsgard Pidgeot raked his talons across a Varia Tropius’ back. An Earthspringer Vibrava summoned a glowing dragon’s head of white-and-green-and-pink and struck down a Magneton dressed in black-and-blue. A Varia Dragapult spat a stream of red-and-yellow fire into a Malamar’s face.

“I wonder if I’ll see them out there.”

“You wouldn’t be able to tell if you did.”

“That's what I’m afraid of.”

Octavia stuck her sword in and pried the lid off an ornate black-and-orange chest. When she found it empty, she tossed it to the floor, and it broke apart.

“Do you remember the statue in the Hall of Monarchs,” Braze said, “the one to Octavia’s immediate left?”

“Not really, but my memory might not be the most reliable one you’ll find.”

“That was her father, King Wilhelm. Wilhelm had two children. Octavia, and Topaz. Topaz was the eldest.”

“The first in line.”

“That’s right.”

I glanced back over my shoulder. Octavia was trying to gently ease open a gummed-up jewellery box, studded with small yellow stones. Topaz stones.

“What happened to her?” I asked.

Braze looked behind him without turning his head. He dropped his voice down low:

“No one knows. It was during another rebellion, a few years ago. Someone from within the Skarsgards started the whole thing. They might have even been a Skarsgard by name; it’s pretty damn likely, if you ask me. They wrangled themselves into a higher position and slowly started replacing the guardsmon, the stewards, even the damn cooks and cleaners with their own Pokémon. Until some dumbfuck tried to recruit his sister, one of the guards, the night before they had planned to take the castle. She told King Wilhelm, he summoned his Pokémon to dispose of them, and all hell broke lose. The castle collapsed in on itself. Trained soldiers started attacking anyone that moved, friend or foe. Eventually the _foes_ found a way into the royal chambers. The king and the princess were killed.”

I swallowed. “Moltres above…”

“Octavia was crowned the next day. She replaced everyone. Every single Pokémon who had _walked_ in that place was out, _permanently_. I think you and Asa were the only ones who kept their positions.”

“What about you?” I asked.

A pause. “I was promoted. The Queen also disbanded her special operatives group, she said not a single one of them could be trusted ever again after what had happened to her father and sister. She created a new group and made Feather the leader, me the enforcer. She also replaced all of her intelligence operatives; fuck me did that take a long time. But I can see why she wouldn't want to trust a group of Pokémon who’d failed to see a rebellion germinating right under their noses. They couldn't even tell her who’d been behind the rebellion in the first place. We never did find out who killed Princess Topaz. Or King Wilhelm.”

I looked over my shoulder. Octavia was checking through a scorch-stained chest of drawers. She glanced back at me and I quickly turned my head away. Braze waited a few moments before continuing:

“I’ve never seen a person change so quickly. It was like she became a different Pokémon in the blink of an eye.

Hardened. Distant. Manipulative. _Angry_. She had never been an angry Pokémon, Alex. You're seeing a _very_ different side of her now.”

“You know a lot about her.”

“I grew up with her. We're the same age, you know. I’ve been training with her since the day I hatched, and she beat me to the ground every time. I always tried to blame those two months between us, but she'd never let me get away with that. She'd help me back onto my feet and place a sword in my hand and she’d run me through every single way I could learn to beat her. She’d train me until my bones cracked and she’d push herself even harder. She never expected to be Queen, so she wanted to be the Kingdom's greatest soldier. She never went anywhere without a sword at her hip, until she was crowned. Always practicing. Always working. Always training other Pokémon, from fresh hatchlings to seasoned soldiers. I don’t think she was ever really a Charmander at all.”

I frowned. “What does that mean?”

“She was never really young. She was never really a _kid_.”

“Is that what you think of Charmander? That we’re kids?”

“You’re eighteen years old and this is your second battle. Human or Pokémon, you’re still a kid, Alex.”

There was a flash of light. A Salamence, wrapped in dark-blue energy, came crashing down on a helpless Corviknight, who had covered their black body in gaudy orange armour, from beak to talons to tail. None of that had protected them.

“I know it's crazy, cause you know, technically, I've only lived…” I counted on my hands, “forty-one days. Wow. Forty-one days… But sometimes I feel like I’ve already lived for far too long.”

Braze put hand to his forehead.

“What?”

“Don't ever say that during a battle. Don’t _ever_ say that during a battle.”

“I never took you for the superstitious type.”

“I’m not, and I never have been, but I know what happens to Pokémon who say things like that. Don’t say it to me. Don’t say it to yourself. Don’t even _think_ it. Your will to live is the one and only thing keeping you alive right now. You need to be thinking about nothing else other than your own survival. Every single waking moment you need to be thinking nothing, nothing at all except: “I want to live.” Are you hearing me? “ _I want to live_.””

“What about my friends?” I said, a little startled. “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them! For you guys!”

“Not everyone’s lucky enough to have people by their side to protect them, and neither you or I can count on someone always being there. You need to be prepared to survive on your own, Alex.”

I looked over my shoulder. Tobias was leaning against Khan’s side, and they both had their eyes closed, resting.

“Your allies rely on your as much as you rely on them,” Braze continued. “If you die, there could be no one hold up a shield between Tobias and a speeding arrow. There'll be no one for _him_ to lean on when he isn’t able to carry on. Stay alive for him.” He leaned in close, and I could see the faint embers in his mouth, giving off a gentle glow. “But not just for him.”

Octavia got her feet and kicked the cabinet. “Nothing! Fucking nothing! They took _everything_!”

“Are we ready to move on?” Braze said.

“All clear on this end!” said Asa.

“If the Varia brothers aren’t here they’ll be at the other end of the Castle,” said Octavia, “we’ll make our way there through through the tunnels.”

“I wonder if Dei will be there as well…”

Scar snorted. “Either that or with a babysitter.”

Octavia laughed.

We followed her out of the room and the panel _clicked_ shut behind us. The only light in the tunnel were the flames from our tails and the faint flow from Asa’s jewellery. Octavia turned a corner, and froze on the spot.

There was nothing but stone, dust, and musty air. But then, at the very end, a shape emerged from the shadows. Black-and-blue, and two feet fall. A Deino. Dei Varia.

The real Dei? No, he didn't have a shadow. A Spectre, then. He was looking past the Queen, straight at me. Octavia took a step forward.

“Wait!” I said.

“Excuse me?” she snapped.

“Please!”

I squeezed past and closer to him, hands up in a gesture of peace. He straightened his back and raised his chin.

“Dei…”

“Traitor.”

“Listen-”

“ _TRAITOOOOOOR!!_ ”

His voice boomed all around us; we ducked and covered our ears and the ground shook violently and we were thrown against the walls.

“What the hell was that?!” Agatha yelled.

“Pokémon under his command are answering to his words,” said Asa. “It’s a common intimidation tactic, if not the most sophisticated.”

“You do not speak of sophistication, traitor!” he barked at Asa. “You… You are the inbodiment of having no sophistication!”

“Dei,” I said, gently, “I’m not sure how much your brothers told you-”

“They told me the truth! Unlike you! Unlike _YOU_!” Another tremble as he screamed at the Pokemon behind me. “They take care of me! They protect me! They love me!” He was sobbing now. “You told me you were my _friend_!”

“Dei, please _listen_. I don’t-”

“ _YOU WILL NOT ADRESS ME AS “DEI”, TRAITOR!_ ”

Low booming, shockwaves with ever syllable. I recoiled. The poor Pokémon was shaking.

“I am Dei Varia, Prince of Itori, Lord of the Glory Hills, Duke of Gloria City and Commander of the Poison Platoon, Priest of the Temple of Change!”

“Do we have to remember all of that, or will “Prince Dei” do?” said Nate.

“ _SILENCE!_ ”

A roaring sound all around us. This time the rumbling didn’t stop.

“As acting Keeper of the Gallows, I was sent here to pass judgement! And I pass it now!”

The Castle wall cracked.

“ ** _EXILE!_** ”

The wall exploded. There was a tremendous rush of air as we exposed to the open sky, twelve stories high. The floor below us tilted. We scrambled to the other side of the tunnel, but there was nothing to grip onto. Dei stood and watched us struggle.

“You don’t have to do this!” I cried.

“I am Prince Dei Varia,” said the young Deino, “and I must protect my people.” The Spectre faded. We were left to scrape against the stone as we dangled over the edge.

Bucky was the first to fall. The fighting below had surrounded the castle, and a Skarsgard Swoobat caught him by the antlers seconds before he hit the ground. More and more fliers surrounded us. Most of them were Varias.

Baz fell. Then Bonnie. The other Victory Hunters cried out; Tess and Art raced down to catch them. Markus gripped on by literally digging his fingers into the concrete.

An Earthspringer Golurk was catching the falling Pokémon with Psychic. Their allies were building living moat around the Castle. Flier Varias descended upon us.

Nate summoned a small sun in his hands and tossed it into the air. Sunny Day activated with a flare. I covered my eyes with one arm and cried out. That’s when I fell.

A Varia Drifloon grabbed me around the waist, crying: “I’ve got him! I've got him!”

Before he could get even few feet away Striker’s Brave Bird struck him in the back. I went flying, was caught by a Varia Corvisquire. Striker kicked her in the chest and slapped her in the face pecked her in the back and clawed her across the eye and drove his wing into her shoulder. The Raven Pokémon dropped me. The Staraptor grabbed me by the arms.

“Alex!” Khan cried.

Striker was carrying me back to the castle. Khan dug his claw into the rubble to hold on as he reached his arm out to me.

Then I saw an expression on his face that I had never once seen before. The colour had drained and his body froze and he very nearly slipped over the edge.

The flap of her wings shook the feathers on Striker’s back. She wore an iron crown, gold, studded with calcite. A Lady, then. And, judging by the blue-and-black armour, most likely one of Dreigo’s.

Blue, grey, with sharp fins sticking out of her cheek, axe-blade-shaped wings of bloody red, and a ball of amber-orange energy growing in her mouth.

“Get away!” Khan screamed.

The Salamence's Dragon Meteor exploded. Khan and the Forest Fires and Tobias and Moltres knows who else cried out as a dragon's head crashed against Striker's back and we fell to the flat, hard ground, twelve feet below us, nine feet below us, six feet below us, three-

A Golurk’s Psychic stopped us just above the ground. They lowered me gently down to the floor. I put a hand to my chest and took deep breaths.

“Thank you.”

“What he said,” Striker said, gasping for air. Smoke was rising from the feathers on his back. He lay limp on the ground, and the Golurk checked him for wounds.

“Yep, you got wounds all right,” they said.

Another explosion of orange.

Draco Meteor rained down on our heads. A Diggersby, a Rhydon, and a Quagsire raised their hands and formed a massive Protect bubble around us. A Piloswine lifted her tusks to the sky and a dark cloud appeared above the Salamence’s head. She tried to get away but a Skarsgard Aegislash blocked her with King’s Shield. The Piloswine’s Icicle Crash tore through her armour to dig into her skin and pierce into her wings and drive her to the ground. A great cloud of dust erupted as she hit the earth.

I looked up, shielding my eyes from the light of Nate’s sun. I could barely see the Pokémon still standing on the sixth floor. Our fliers were doing their best to protect them, but the Varias outnumbered them by a long shot, and most of our allies were earth-bound.

A back pipe led from the castle’s rear wall to the sixth floor. I rubbed my hands together by pulled myself up onto the first holding-strip-thing. You know the things that holds the pipe to the wall? That.

“Alex?” said Striker.

“Can’t talk, climbing.”

“Alex?!”

I was genuinely trying to climb the six floors all the way to the top. Up a drain pipe. With my bare hands.

“You are nuttier than a Meltan,” said the Golurk.

“Tobias needs me! I won’t leave him- aaah!”

By hands slipped on the metal; I tried to grab onto the stone but my fingers weren’t strong enough. I fell through the air, arms grasping at nothing, and landed with a _thump_. I clutched my head and groaned. I mean it was only about two feet down, but still!

The Piloswine laughed. I heard Tobias’ voice, calling for me, but I couldn't figure out what he was saying.

_Booooooooom_.

I craned my head up. Smoke and fire clouded the two highest floors from you.

“Tobias,” I said.

“Maybe if your heart finds a way you can make it back to him,” said the Piloswine. The Golurk chuckled.

The Varia Pokémon were circling around the sixth floor. Amidst the smoke, I saw a pair of gleaming gold eyes. Luxray eyes.

I took a step back from the Earthspringers and Striker.

“ _Hey!_ ” I yelled. “ _I’m here! I’m right here! Sir Alex Albion, the human!_ ”

“What the hell are you doing?!” the Staraptor cried.

The Varias, after a moment of stunned silence, descended on me. A Mismagius appeared behind me, struck me in the back with Shadow Force, and lifted me into the air.

“Remember me?” she hissed into my ear.

“No.” I pulled free and hit her with Flamethrower; there again, that warm orange glow. A Ruby-coloured Noivern swooped down and caught me.

Striker pushed as hard as he could but he could barely lift his head off the ground. The Golurk used Shadow Punch, a Swoobat took the hit. The Piloswine used Icicle Crash, a Bronzong blocked it with Protect.

The Noivern held me up by the wrists. A Hyper Beam missed her by inches, so she carried me higher into the air. Around twelve feet into the air.

“Kill him while you have the chance!” somebody roared.

A Varia Vikavolt prepared to use Guillotine, aiming at my neck.

“I don’t think you’re a high enough level for that one,” I told her.

Laughter. The Vikavolt opened up her pincers.

A ball of lightning surrounded me. I screwed up my eyes but blinding electric light cut straight through. I reached out for something to grab onto and when I opened my eyes Tobias was holding me in his arms. The attack had shocked him, but he hadn’t let go.

“Tobias!”

“Alex!”

We hugged each other tight. Khan blocked a Dragon Pulse headed straight for us with his fins, and shot the Vibrava out of the sky with Fire Blast.

I held onto the remains of the wall and peered over the edge. Roy had landed on the Vikavolt’s back and was crunching down on the Noivern’s tail with Fire Fang. A Drifblim’s Ominous Wind sent the three of them tumbling through the air, and the Luxray fell. Eliza rushed towards him but a Magneton blocked her path. The Golurk and the Piloswine were struggling with a Varia Kabutops and Omanyte. Striker cried out and forced himself to his feet but he collapsed again before his feet left the ground.

A Skarsgard Mandibuzz caught Roy by the haunches and gently lowered down.

I sighed with relief. A Cryogonal fired an Ice Beam, breaking the tiles beneath me.

Octavia grabbed me by the tail and dropped me back down into the corridor, where I would be protected by the rubble. Blast Burn stopped the Crystallizing Pokémon in their tracks. The Queen took three seconds to recharge.

“Idiot,” she said, stepping over me. “Don’t take that to mean I’m in any way fond of you.”

“I didn’t take you calling me an idiot that way, no.”

“Moltres, do you _ever_ shut up?”

More flying Pokémon, more than the Skarsgards could handle. Every single one of them was focused on Octavia, and unfortunately, Octavia was someone we couldn’t afford to lose.

Scar stood between us and the Varias.

“Keep going,” she said, “I can hold them off for four turns.”

“Scar, don’t-” Agatha began.

“It’s not up to you,” said the Queen. “Stay safe, soldier,” she said to the Absol.

Scar took a deep breath. Two Varia Metang broke through the living wall of Skarsgards.

Perish Song echoed through the air.

Octavia placed her hand on the wall. The panel slid open and we filed through. It closed behind us with a _click_.

“Where are-” I began.

“Not one word,” said Octavia.

I looked around. It was a bedroom, smaller and less decorated, but also less methodically destroyed. A large canopy bed depicted a Nidoking and a Nidoqueen holding hands in a rich pasture under a full moon.

“We need to, um, we need to do a head-count, I think,” said Asa.

“Are you all right?” said Octavia, and there was no snideness in her voice.

“We need to-” he looked around. “Where is Braze?”

Silence.

Octavia closed her eyes. “Heal us as best you can and we’ll move on. If the armoury is empty, we should be able to reach the Hall without another battle. If not, we’ll battle them, and we’ll win.”

“Well said,” said Agatha, one of the three Skarsgards left in the group.

Tobias, Khan, Fortis, Harriet, all here because of me. For the Queen, Agatha, Niamh, and Asa.

Octavia scanned the room, and that realisation dawned on her as well. I might have been imaging it, it might just have been the stress or the exhaustion or the loss, but I think, for one moment, I saw a brief flicker of fear cross her face.

“Get to work, Asa.”

Asa nodded. His pink Gem glowed, but the light was growing dimmer. We were running out of healing.

We sat and waited for treatment, surrounded by the cacophony of the battle. It was close to midnight now, and none of us had slept since that brief spell of unconsciousness in the Earthspringer tunnels. No one spoke for a long time.

“Where are we, for real?” Harriet said finally.

“Lord Vex’s “Guest Accommodation”,” said Asa.

“I said not one word!” Octavia snapped.

Zweil Varia’s bedroom was a lot tamer than we’d expected. Racks of bands and metal circlets and other magical accessories. Chests. Jewellery, most likely of the magical variety. A _lot_ of paper, and two matching Honchkrow quills. The teleporter he’d used to liberate the silvered Pokémon from Goldenwater Prison. Paintings. One of Dreigo, one of Dei, one of the three of them together. Another of two Hydreigon, a Zweilous, a Deino, and an Egg. An artistic rendition of the three large muscled Pokémon; Tornadus, Thundurus, and Landorus. The Forces of Nature. The Varias’ Gods.

The place was so cluttered we had to walk single-file through a maze of the Zweilous’ belongings.

“I wonder if he even sleeps here…” said Asa.

“Why do you care where he sleeps?” said Octavia.

“That’s not my concern, your grace. My concern is what he’s doing when he _isn’t_ sleeping.”

In one corner of the room was a white stone basin with a silver inner lining, filled with clear water reflecting the room around it. Then the reflections started to move. Tobias, Niamh, Agatha, and I shared a look, then we hurried over to take a look inside. By standing on top of one of the chests, we were able to peer over the edge.

Smooth brown walls and silver flashes of armour. Camerupt and Claydol and Pupitar and Sandaconda, all dressed up with nowhere to go. They were standing together, laughing, joking with one another.

A Drilbur strode over and barked a few words at them, and they immediately snapped to attention. She ordered them out of the room and they marched off, backs straight and expressions stern.

“The Earthspringers,” I said out loud, stupidly.

Connie span around. We recoiled. She was staring right at us.

She ran out of frame.

“Oh no,” said Niamh.

Agatha put her hands on the sides. “How do you turn this thing?”

“You _don’t_ ,” said Octavia. Mercifully, she hadn't seen inside. “Stop touching it before you set something off. We’re leaving, _now_.”

Movement. The Queen shook her head and moved to open the next door.

Mr. Finely approached us. Niamh’s breath caught in her throat. He stared through the water for a brief moment, then brought his fist up and struck. The reflection shattered and the colours drained away. Now were just staring at water, clear silver water.

The four of us shared a look. We stepped down off the chest and followed the Queen out of the room. None of us said a word.

The next room after that was filled with colourful padding, toys, a fur-covered bed, a ripped-open chew-toy, and a music box. Dei’s room.

“How old is this kid?” asked Tobias.

“Eight months old,” said Octavia. “Almost as young as the war itself.”

Next, the armoury. The former armoury, that was. The room was split into nine parts, all decorated with simplistic moulds of a different Pokémon’s face.

Brown, lined with creamy white, decorated with spinning yellow stars.

Deep blue, lined with navy, with two small waterfalls pooling amongst the rocks by the wall.

Yellow, lined with white, neon lights flashing all around.

Red, lined with yellow, heat lines rising from the floor.

Deep pink, lines with red, and impossible to look at for long without feeling nauseous.

Black, lined with yellow.

Green, lined with cream, overgrown with plants.

Pale blue, lined with sea blue, the floor frozen over.

Pale pink, lined with white and blue, decorated with ribbons and glitter.

The usual door had been sealed off. Octavia stepped over the line. Lights of all nine colours shone above our heads. The floor divided and tilted, so we were all tossed into different segments of the room. Walls rose up around us.

I got to my feet and stood alone in the darkness, lit only by flashing yellow rings along the wall. Red eyes. I raised my shield. They disappeared. Something struck me from behind.

I span around. Nothing.

Something struck me again in the shoulder. I tried to light the room with Flamethrower, but all it did was mingle with the glaring yellow light.

There! A shape, something leaping off the walls. I manage to raise my arm just in time; my opponent jumped off my shield, flipped backwards, landed. I aimed a Fire Spin, he dodged back into the shadows. He was an Umbreon, as you might have guessed.

I lost track of him. I tried to light the room again with Flamethrower, but it couldn’t cut through the shadows. A faint sound behind me. I turned and raised my shield.

Red eyes turned to rainbow. I clutched my head with both hands and stumbled to the floor. My vision was blurry and my hands grasped at thin air.

Two back paws struck me in the face. I swung my sword around blindly. I fell forward and smacked my face on the ground. A Shadow Ball came shooting out at me. I just stared at it, motionless, and it exploded between my eyes.

I cried out and scrambled away and pushed myself up on one knee. I breathed in deep, but my vision was still blurry, and I still wasn’t in control of my own body. I tried to summon an attack ended up choking on my own fire, and I clutched my throat and coughed up smoke. Shadow Ball hit again and I went rolling over the floor.

My vision cleared. I pushed up and fired Flamethrower all around the room. Nothing but darkness, and glaring yellow light.

A whisper-faint scuffling sound just behind me.

Then a glowing golden five-point star appeared in the air. I held up my shield but Last Resort blasted me into the far wall. Small stars appeared before my eyes.

The Umbreon came running, but I heard him this time; he was bouncing from wall to wall, and only the faint brush of his pads on the stone gave him away.

I struck out with my sword, and it connected with his shoulder. He landed on the floor, leapt at me, struck me in the face with his tail. I swung my sword, he dodged, span and kicked me in the chest. I banged my head against the wall and slumped to the floor.

I went completely still.

Silence.

Footsteps.

The Umbreon stopped a few feet away. Then crept closer. He stared at me for a long moment. I didn’t move.

He nudged me with his paw. He lifted my chin up and felt around for a pulse.

I shot back up and unleashed a Fire Spin; he tried to dodge but he was two close, he was sucked into in the flames. He tried summoning another star but I rolled out of the way and it burst against the wall behind me. I held my sword in both hands and slashed him across the stomach. He yowled in pain struggled and kicked but I grabbed onto him and held him tight so that he couldn’t escape. Fire swirled around us both. Poisonous sweat was seeping from his pores but my armour was protecting me.

The fire died and he kicked me away. Shadow Ball and Flamethrower clashed, exploding in mid-air. His eyes turned rainbow, but I covered my head and ducked behind my shield.

Feint Attack hit me in the side, I slid across the floor but kept my footing; I swung my sword, missed, swung again, missed again.

The Umbreon summoned Last Resort. I tucked and rolled out of the way. He fired Shadow Ball, and it landed a direct hit.

He could see me much better than I could see him. All right then, let’s change see how you like it.

I hid myself with Smokescreen. I circled around for a few steps then ran straight ahead, sword pointed outwards. I struck the Umbreon in the side of the neck and slammed him against the wall. I brought my pommel down over his back. The Umbreon collapsed to the floor, trembling.

“Yield.”

He spat at my feet. There was blood in his saliva.

“You're in no fit state to fight,” I told him.

“If I am to die today I will not die a _coward_!” he cried.

I frowned. “Is this a trick?”

He just stared at me.

“I’m not going to _kill_ you!” I said. “I’m going to go and find my friends!”

The Umbreon narrowed his eyes. Blood trickled down his neck and onto the floor. I lowered my sword.

“You're bleeding.”

“Oh, am I? Am I really? Tell me what exactly you thought would happen when you drove that _sword_ into my _neck_?!”

“I thought…” I stammered, “we’re Pokémon, we’re not humans. I didn’t think-”

A bitter laugh. “We’re also not impenetrable, as it happens.” He coughed, hacking up saliva.

I dropped the sword and went down on one knee. “Can you breath okay?”

“I can breath.”

“I didn’t puncture your throat, did I?”

“Am I talking to you right now?!” he snapped. Then he exhaled. “It’s just a cut.”

But there was blood splattered on the walls, on the floor, and more still dripping from his neck. I searched for something I could use. There was nothing in my bag, and the room was empty apart from us.

I lifted my sword to my shoulder and cautiously pierced the sleeve. I cut at the threads and ripped it away, then did the same with the other one.

“Why did you rip off both sleeves?”

“Well I don't want to wander around him only one arm covered, do I?”

A small smirk. “It’s _armour_ , it doesn’t matter whether or not it _matches_.”

“Don’t move your head,” I said, wrapped the fabric around him. “I've never done this before, so let me know if you’re uncomfortable.”

I pulled the makeshift bandage tight. He grunted, but didn’t complain.

“Still breathing?”

“ _Obviously_ … Thank you,” he added reluctantly.

“Don’t move around too much. And get to a real healer as soon as you can. I have to go. Nobody’s going to come for you if you’re not a threat, right?”

“… Are you asking me?”

“Kinda, yeah. I’ve never fought in a battle like this before. That I remember.”

He looked me up and down. “Are you really Alex Albion?”

“I am, unfortunately.”

“Hm. You’re different to what I thought you’d be.”

“You shouldn’t believe everything you hear about Pokémon. That’s how wars are started.”

Voices through the walls. The others were calling out for each other.

“How do I get out of here?” I asked.

“Why in Landorus’ name would I tell you that?”

“I just saved your life!”

“After puncturing me with a sword!”

_Click_.

The door opened behind me. Octavia didn't wait before moving on to the others.

“Hah. Hard to trap someone in a cage they grew up in,” said the Moonlight Pokémon.

“Are you going to be okay?”

“I’ll be fine.”

I reached into my bag again. I placed a Sitrus Berry at his paws. He frowned.

“It’s not poison, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“I would have smelt it if it was. You’re… quite gracious, especially for someone with your reputation.”

“… Thanks.”

A smile. “My name’s Apollo, by the way. Since I know you're going to be telling a lot of people this story later.”

“I am?”

He looked over his shoulder behind him. “You’re going to find the King, aren’t you? I’m sure if you make it out alive you’ll have droves of Pokém on just dying to find out how you pulled it off. Just make sure you include that I was very cool and also extraordinarily handsome.”

“I don’t think that’s the kind of thing people are going to ask me about.”

“Tell them anyway.”

“Write your own book!”

“Alex!” the Queen called.

“I have to go,” I said, “are you sure you’re going to be okay?”

“… I suppose that depends on what comes next.”

“You can talk, it’s _my_ life on the line out there.”

Apollo laughed. “Oh, Alex, Alex! There are _far_ more lives than just your own on the line.”

The Queen called for me again. I got to my feet a nd picked up my sword. I left Apollo to rest.

From the centre of the room I had a clear view of the eight other enclosures. Agatha had taken on the Eevee, and was lying face-up on the ground with a large bruise across her right eye. She had been knocked out, but so had her opponent. The Exscalloper lay in a broken pile on the floor beside her.

Octavia was dripping wet and was shaking the water out of her armour. The Vaporeon was on her side, marked by cuts and bruises, body tucked in defensively. She looked nothing like the statue.

The Jolteon was also dripping wet, sprawled across the ground. Harriet limped out of the room, lowered herself to the floor. She was shuddering from head-to-toe, but she was awake. She got to work picking needles out of her skin.

Asa had been put with the Flareon. He walked out of the room without a burn mark on him. The Flareon was unconscious, whether knocked out or simply put to sleep, I couldn't say.

Fortis was dazed, and looked a little bit sick. But the Espeon was unconscious on the floor, covered in cuts, bruises, and burn marks. Fortis straightened out his jacket.

“Did a pretty good job in there,” said Octavia.

“Thank you, your grace.”

“You clearly have a lot of combat experience."

“Yes, your grace.”

“Do you ever smile at all?”

“Not really, your grace.”

Tobias had been put with the Leafeon. Whoever operated the controls must not have known about his Ice Beam. He walked away with a few cuts on his skin and on his shell, but his opponent was frozen solid.

Khan had faced the Glaceon, who lay in a burned heap against the far wall. The Garchomp was trembling even worse than Harriet, but that made sense. It _was_ cold in there.

The Sylveon had knocked Niamh out cold. Octavia jumped at the chance to finish her off herself. The Intertwining Pokémon summoned a Moonblast to counter her, but once she saw the seven of us staring back at her, she let the attack die. She just closed her eyes and waited as Octavia’s Blast Burn consumed her.

“… That was horrible,” I said quietly.

Octavia’s head snapped around at me. “Was it?! Was it now?!”

She stepped over the Sylveon and gently lifted Niamh into her arms. She lowered her so I could see it up-close.

“What do you call this then?”

Fur and skin had been burned away. A five-point star had been seared into her back.

“What do you think of this, Alex? What do you think of that Pokémon doing this to one of your friends? I suppose not that much, considering you don’t even remember her.”

She looked up. Tobias, Khan, Fortis, Harriet, and Asa. One Skarsgard left. I saw that flicker of fear again, and this time I know it was real.

She lowered Niamh to the ground. “What can you do for her?” she asked Asa.

“I can heal the skin to prevent infection, but I’m running dangerously low, and I only have two Life Stars. I can provide a constant low healing, but that won’t be enough in the real battle.”

“You’re going to have to fight, then, Asa.”

Asa took a deep breath, exhaled. “I know.”

“There’s only one more place those fuckers could be. Agatha and Niamh will be safer here, and I don’t think the fancy boys are going to risk damaging a place like _this_. Do what you can for us now. And don’t you dare hold back in there, _any_ of you. This could be the battle that ends the war.”

The door to the hidden hallway closed with a _click_.

It was empty, echoey, and cold. Black and white checkered tiles stretched along the length of the north-east tower, ending in two staircases leading to a black door.

“The tops of all of all four towers are sealed off and used for storage for the sole purpose of keeping this one hidden,” the Queen told us. “Tell anyone about this place and you’ll be thrown in the slammer.”

“What is in that room?” Khan asked.

“Darkness,” she answered.

“And the Varia brothers,” said Asa.

“Just them?” said Fortis. “Don’t you think they’d have guards in there with them?”

“That room is strictly barred to any and all non-royal Pokémon,” said the Queen, “the fact that even you five idiots are allowed in this corridor is a fucking rarity.”

“I’m so honoured to be dying for you in such a place of high privilege,” said Khan.

“Moltres, you get on my nerves.”

“What about family?” said Harriet. “They’d technically be royal too, right?”

“They don’t have any family,” said Octavia, “the only other Hydreigon are the Ahlbergs, distance relatives at best. We actually have a few of them in our forces. Although one of them’s gone now…” She went quite for a moment. Then she shook her head and brought herself back to reality. “Believe me, it’s just them in there, alone. If there are any guardsmon left, we’ll find them here.”

_Scratch, scratch, scratch_.

Right on time. We drew our weapons. The floor rumbled. The bannisters on the stairs shook, there was a loud _crack_ from somewhere beneath the tiles, and-

_KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM._

The floor between the two staircases burst open, and out poured a posse of bangled and bejewelled poison-type Pokémon, twelve strong: Crystal Muk, Amped Toxtricity, Salazzle, Skorupi, Skrelp, Stunky, Toxicroak, Miner Weezing, Arbok, Seviper, Crobat, and a Garbodor, waving the flag of Dei Varia, the Varia mirror, below a single-toed-footprint. A red footprint. All wore golden wreaths around their heads, along with black-and-blue armour decorated with different kinds of gemstones, customised for each individual Pokémon. These were elite soldiers. And Zweil had done something to them.

The poison-types parted. An Incineroar leapt over the edge. He was six-foot-six, taller than most. He wore an all-black tunic, exactly like the one I’d woken up with, but without the Badge hole. Just above his natural belt was one made of red, fire-proof hemp belt fixed with a black diamond-shaped buckle ringed with thin black lines against a red background, where a nine-inch dagger hung at his waist. His tail flicked in the air.  The heat from his waist made the air simmer.

“Prometheus,” said Octavia, lips parted.

The fire-and-dark-type Pokémon and I locked eyes.

“Human.” A single, low growl. It was all he said. Then he went straight for me.

Khan struck with Brick Break. Prometheus crossed his arms and blocked him, then grabbed his arm, turned him around, and tossed him over his shoulder. Tobias gave a horrified cry. Khan jumped straight back up onto his feet. The Muk wrapped her arms around the Garchomp’s torso and the Skorupi jumped onto his face.

“I’m running dangerously low on healing, your grace.”

“Then it might be time for you to _attack_ , Asa,” said the Queen. Her Air Slash cut the Weezing across both faces.

The Toxtricity ran his hands over the bumps on his chest. Sparks travelled up through his body and danced on the tips of his fingers. He held one arm above his torso and raised the other; when he swung down six shafts of light appeared and shivered as he struck them. They curled up tight and twisted into a rectangular head, a long neck, and a pear-shaped body. He strummed on the strings again, and a sharp, musical sound rang out, sending off bright yellow flashes of lightning.

Octavia's put herself between him and the Grande Mage. The Punk Pokémon swung his instrument around and slammed it down against the Queen’s shield. Electricity cracked up her wrist and she grit her teeth in pain. Vine Whip wrapped around the Toxtricity’s waist and hurled him across the room. He caught himself with his right hand, the instrument still in his left. Then he came running.

Asa didn’t move.

“Asa!” Octavia called, but at that moment both the Toxicroak and the Salazzle both jumped on her at once. A dark-green-and-golden glow travelled down Octavia’s legs and across her tail, which sprouted long, flowing feathers as it grew to three times its original length; Breaking Swipe swung wide and caught them both in the stomach. But she hadn't even taken a breath before the Weezing’s Smog had blinded her.

The Toxtricity was two feet away. Asa still didn’t move.

The Toxtricity was a foot away. Asa still didn’t move.

The Toxtricity’s guitar crashed down over his head, sending violent shockwaves through his body.

Asa raised his haunches. The Varia Pokémon tried to pull away but he had gotten too close and Asa’s attack fired too fast. Solar Beam hit him with so much force he went rolling across the floor. Smoke rose from his skin, the his instrument crackled away into nothing.

“That’s more like it!” Octavia cheered.

The Skorupi jabbed the Toxtricity in the side. He got to his feet and ran his hands across his torso. Electricity crackled at his fingers. Asa raised a storm of leaves up around him.

Dark-red fire surrounded Prometheus’ hands, and he turned himself in a circle, faster and faster, until he was nothing but a red-and-black blur. I drew my sword and held up my shield but it was useless against him; I was tossed backwards and went rolling across the floor. Hunter ended up five feet away from me.

“Alex!” Tobias called, before the Skrelp jumped on top ofhim.

I pushed myself to my feet and used Fire Spin. Prometheus just stepped right out of it. My eyes widened. He threw his body forward and a stream of flame came from his belt. I countered with my own Flamethrower. His won; I covered my eyes and grit my teeth. The Incineroar smirked.

He brought his hand across in a Throat Chop, driving into my windpipe. I put my hands to my neck and gasped for air. He kicked me down and put his foot on my stomach. He looked into my eyes, drew his dagger, held it over his head. But he hesitated.

Tobias’ Rapid Spin hit him in the back. My partner bounced off the wall and came flying at him again. Prometheus’ backhand chop deflected him. Tobias landed on the ground and fired a Water Gun. Prometheus blocked it with his hand.

I tried to summon a Flamethrower. I sucked in air but nothing but a rattling cough came out. Prometheus  roundhouse-kicked Tobias int o the wall.

“Your new Pokémon is weak.”

Tobias tried to stand so he slammed his foot down on his head. Tobias gave a high-pitched cry the first time, and the second, but not the third, or the fourth. Then he lay completely still.

I roared outrage and raised my Claws but he grabbed my wrists in one giant hand, and with the other he picked me up by the throat and slammed me into the wall. He looked at the Chariz-Fang hanging from my neck, gave a growl of disgust, ripped it from its string, and tossed it to the floor. He pushed harder against my throat, and I gasped for air; this time I was actually choking. I tried to summon my Metal Claw but the didn’t appear so I just scratched at the back of his hand but Prometheus only tightened his grip and right hand went to the handle of his-

Water Gun hi t him in the belt. His threw his head back and roared.

He grabbed Tobias by the back of the head and bashed our skulls together, then dropped me, tossed him into the air, and dashed him into the ground with Throat Chop. So Tobias held up his hand instead, and Brine hit him in the face. Prometheus shielded face and backed away.

I helped Tobias to his feet.

The Incineroar’s eyes turned a bloody red. Light streaked around his face and took the form of a long-nosed dragon with three rows of jagged fangs; it curled around his body and its fins and tails rippled through the air. His body glowed an Outraged scarlet and he slashed with his hand and a tail lashed out to smack me in the face. I hid us with Smokescreen and we ran. Prometheus came storming down the hallway after us; we zig-zagged through the cloud of smoke-

And came face-to-face with Avalon. Her eyes were black and empty. Her lungs were breathing, but she wasn’t a thinking, feeling being anymore. Oily-smoke spewed from the black-and-purple flames on her neck and lower back.

Prometheus drove his dragon's-head fist into the back of my head. Avalon’s empty eyes watched as he swallowed a Persim Berry in one bite, then picked me up by the arms. I kicked and struggled and waved my tail but he dug his claws in so hard that I screamed. Tobias hit him in back with Brine and I dropped, just in time to block a black-and-purple Flame Wheel with my shield. Zweil wheeled around, I dodged, he flipped landed and rammed into my stomach.

Prometheus set his body alight. Darkest Lariat send Tobias skittering across the floor.

Fire Spin held Avalon’s body in place. I found my sword on the ground and charged at Prometheus; he turned around and struck me with the back of his hand. He kicked Tobias into the air. A black-and-purple Smokescreen blinded me before I could see anything else. There was a loud _smack_ , and I heard Tobias fall.

“Tobias!”

He didn't answer. I charged blind through the smoke, and eventually found his shell. He still hadn’t left it.

“Tobias…”

Avalon’s body curled up and was surrounded by a spinning wheel of black-and-purple fire, cutting through the smoke. Prometheus’s eyes turned red; I covered Tobias’ shell with my body as he reached us, pulled his leg back-

And gave a strangled cry as Harriet drove her Steel Wing into his stomach. Flame Wheel hit her in the leg but she grit her beak and stood her ground. One hard kick sent Avalon’s body sliding across the tiles.

She summoned a Whirlpool. Prometheus leapt out of the way and it broke against the wall.

Avalon’s body stood. “Prometheus,” came a familiar voice, angry, raspy, “use Malicious Moonsault!”

Prometheus puffed out his chest and held out his arms. Dark-orange fire surrounded him, covering his face like a mask, his body like a leotard. He came running at Avalon; Zweil held up her paws and Prometheus landed on her, pushed off high into the air, flipped backwards, and landed.

Right on top of Harriet, who had shoved us out of the way just in time. Dark fire exploded between them, the flash blinding, the smoke suffocating; Harriet’s gasped for air and scrabbled across the tiles as she tried to push him off but the Incineroar wrapped his arm over her wing and pulled it behind her back then slammed her head into the ground.

Then there was a flash of red-and-orange; he tried to roll out of the way but his opponent was far too fast, almost too fast for the eye to track.

Fortis drove his Sky Uppercut up under Prometheus’ chin.

The Toxicroak Poison Jabbed him in the back. Khan wrapped his arms around her waist and dragged her away.

The rest of the poison-type soldiers surrounded Asa and the Queen.

Octavia slashed the Garbodor across the face with her sword. The Skorupi jumped at her; she used the flat of the blade to bat her out of the air. The Seviper leapt at her from behind and dug her teeth into her neck. Octavia cried out in pain. Razor Leaf cut across the Fang Snake Pokémon face and she dropped to the floor. The Arbok dove for her, aiming for the same spot. Asa’s vines wrapped the Cobra Pokémon’s tail and threw him, and he went sliding across the floor.

“Against the wall, your grace!”

He and Octavia backed up until their backs were pressed to the black tiles. The poison-type Pokémon formed a crescent around them. Octavia held up her sword. Asa’s bulb gathered energy.

The poison-type Pokémon jumped at them all at once.

Asa’s Solar Beam exploded through the corridor, a beam as wide and as tall as a Venusaur. The Seviper and the Arbok were on the floor, cringing away from the light. The Skorupi and the Salazzle, smart enough to stay on the fringes, dodged. Eight elite Pokémon were swallowed up by the attack.

“I knew you had it in you!” Octavia said with a wide smile.

In the Solar Beam’s glare, I saw Fortis throw Prometheus to the floor. The Incineroar jumped to his feet, Fortis Fire Punched him into his stomach. Prometheus clawed him across the face. Fortis brought his swords up to cut him. Prometheus blocked his arms with his own. So Fortis headbutted him. Prometheus was knocked back a couple of steps; then he corrected himself; Fortis Blaze Kicked him in the face. Blood sprayed from his nose but Prometheus stood his ground; he hooked his arms under his opponent’s, so Fortis grabbed him by the whiskers and pulled and he _yowled_ in pain. Fortis kicked him in the torso to pull away but Prometheus ducked and lunged and grabbed him by the waist; he flipped backwards and slammed him to the ground with a piledriver. Then he climbed on top of him and pinned him underneath him.

Fortis smiled.

Prometheus looked behind him, a moment too late. Khan’s Brick Break cracked across his face.

I aimed a Fire Spin at Avalon’s body. Zweil jumped and dodged, then slammed her back paw on the ground and hit me with a Shock Wave. Tobias’ Water Gun hit her in the face. And him.

The black-and-purple fire flared up as tall as a Typhlosion’s and let off great clouds of smoke. Tobias cried out as something hit im in the stomach, knocking him away. We were separated.

I almost called out for him, but my cry died in my throat. I looked all around without shifting my step.

Slow. Steady.

I lifted my foot, lowered it ahead of me as gently as I could. Not a sound. Again. Again.

A black-and-purple Dragon Pulse came blazing out of the darkness. I ducked, and it went wide over my shoulder. I wheeled around and raised my sword and charged. The blade sliced through Avalon’s armour and I pulled it away and I kicked her to the ground. I pressed my point against her throat.

Zweil laughed. “I thought you were a changed Pokémon, Alex. More fool me, I suppose.”

I pressed in a little deeper. “I know you can feel this. I know you can feel pain, even if you’re incapable of feeling anything else. I know I can hurt you, even now, even while you’re using my friend’s body as a _puppet_!”

Zweil leaned Avalon’s body closed and narrowed her eyes. The blade punctured the skin. He tilted her head, and more blood flowed.

“But you have no idea how much pain I can take.”

He slammed her forepaw on the ground. Shock Wave travelled up my body and down the sword towards Avalon’s body but Zweil didn’t flinch. I grit my teeth even as they chattered and stood my ground even as my body teetered and controlled my breathing even as I began to choke.

I gripped my sword tighter in my hands and leaned in until my eyes were an inch from her, from his.

“Neither do you.”

I slashed him across her face. He grabbed me by the wrist and drove her other fist into my stomach and pink hearts flew. It had no effect. I raised my leg and slammed  her head to the floor. Blood sprayed from Avalon's lip but it came out the inky black of Zweil’s magic.

I stood above him.

He tried to shock me again but I kicked him down until her body stopped responding.

Zweil’s eyes locked onto mine.

I raised Hunter above my head.

Smoky-oil rose from the Quilava in a great puff of cloud. The fire on her neck and back flickered and died, and her body went limp.

I dropped to my knees and pressed me ear against her chest. A heartbeat. Breathing. I gently reached out and lifted one of her eye sockets; black, white, and red. Avalon's eyes.

I breathed a shuddering sigh of relief. The smoke finally cleared, and Tobias came running over. He had a black eye on the right side of his face.

“What happened?!” he said when he saw her.

I got to my feet, still looking down at her. “He let her go.”

“… Why?”

I turned the sword in my hand. There was a red mark on the steel. “Because he honestly thought I would do it. More fool him, I suppose.”

“She looks really hurt, Alex.”

“Asa!” I called.

Asa’s Vine smacked the Stunky across the face. Octavia’s Air Slash countered the Weezing’s Sludge attack. Even after an attack that could have taken down a Giant, they were still coming. They were the royal guard, after all.

Fortis helped Harriet to her feet. The Empoleon staggered, but managed to stay upright.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

“Are you?!” she responded.

“Not really.”

A small laugh. “Me neither.”

I found the Chariz-Fang with the broken string lying on the floor. I tried to fix it around my neck but I couldn't tie it properly.

Fortis knelt down and wrapped it around my wrist.

“It'll be safer that way,” he said.

“Thanks, I-” I looked up. “Fortis! You’re hurt!”

Blood was dripping from three claw-marks, along his jaw, cheek, and just below his eye. His stance was broken and he was trembling, breathing hard. Fortis straightened.

“That’s never stopped me before. I’ll be damned if it stops me now.”

“You don’t have to do this…”

Fortis laughed.

“I never had to, Alex. I never had to do any of this. But that’s never been the point.”

White-and-green-and-pink light flared and twisted into the shape of a square-jawed creature as the Salazzle summoned a Dragon Pulse. Solar Beam cut through it and swallowed her whole. The Toxtricity’s Fire Punch drove into his ribs.

“Get to the stairs!” Octavia cried. She brought her sword up and cut the Salazzle up under the chin. “ _Go!_ ”

We raced across the hall to the bottom of the stairs. The Toxicroak stuck her claw into Octavia's side, puncturing the skin, and her body turned a vicious purple. Venoshock. The Queen fell to the floor.

One of the Life Stars hanging from Asa’s side glowed, a golden light surrounded them. Then it dimmed down, and died.

“I have one left, your grace!”

The Q ueen’s Steel Wing absorbed the Muk’s Sludge Bomb, Air Slash sliced her across the face. Sh e turned to us. “Go! Find them! Stop waiting for us!”

One hand was on her side, were a patch of blood congealed into a black mess. Her eyes were drooping and her skin had turned sallow. She was poisoned, and Asa couldn’t heal her. She wouldn't last must longer.

I hesitated halfway up the stairs.

“ _Leave us! That is an order!_ ”

I met her eyes. I was expecting anger, or impatience, but instead I saw desperation, and fear. And wariness. Of who, or what, exactly, I really can’t figure out.

I turned and raced up the steps towards the black door. The royal guard turned their attentions on us, but Octavia and Asa managed to hold most of them back.

The Arbok was already ahead of the rest. His jaws snapped shut over Khan’s ankle. Brick Break hit him in the back of hood and Khan kicked him away, sending him and the Garbodor tumbling down the stairs. The Crobat aimed an Air Slash at Fortis; Harriet blocked it with Steel Wing and trapped him in a Whirlpool.

More came, but we had the high ground. Asa’s vines grabbed onto anyone who slipped past and Octavia’s swing. We were a few feet from the door.

When three more poison-type Pokémon emerged through the hole. A Haunter struck Khan in the back with Shadow Sneak. A Victreebel’s vine Wrapped around Harriet’s leg. A Low Key Toxtricity vaulted over the bannister and landed in front of us. She held a tall instrument with four strings in both hands; what it was made of, I couldn’t say; and smashed it against the ground; a blinding blue Boomburst attack shook the floor, the bannisters, the other Pokémon.

The Victreebel slipped. Harriet clung to Fortis, Fortis clung to Harriet. The Victreebel pushed her body off against the wall. Predator and prey fell through the hole.

“ _Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!!_ ”

“ _Harriet!!_ ” Fortis screamed. He looked from her to us to her again. He jumped down after her, digging his swords into the wall to control his fall.

For a moment we were too stunned to move. The Toxtricity’s Shock Wave crashed through Tobias and I. Khan’s Fire Blast crushed her against the wall.

The Haunter grabbed me around the waist. Tobias hit him with Ice Beam. The Skrelp struck him in the back of the head with Poison Tail. Khan’s Brick Break tossed the Mock Kelp Pokémon back down the steps. More poison-types were racing up the stairs towards us.

Asa’s Solar Beam swept over them. Khan called for us both and we followed him up to the landing.

I looked up at the sign above the doorway, written in Unown.

“ _Nova Hall_ ,” Khan read out.

Asa tossed us the last Life Star. Khan caught it in his claws, broke it against the floor. A healing beam restored all three of us to f ull health. Tobias’ black eye faded back to blue.

_Bong. Bong. Bong._

I turned around. Tobias and Khan looked up. Even Octavia, Asa, and the poison-types paused for a moment. Faintly, in the distance, the midnight bells were chiming. It was Friday, the 20th of the Drake.

“ _Go!_ ” Octavia roared.

“Are you going to be okay?!” I called down to them.

“Not if you spend all day standing there!” Asa called called back. “Go! You have to _end this_!”

The Crobat fired a blinding orange Hyper Beam and Asa went flying. He landed on his feet, unfazed. They landed, the Toxicroak Bounced up into the air, Vine Whip wrapped around her and tossed her back down. The other one wrapped around the Crobat’s body and slammed him into the wall.

Khan watched the Bulbasaur move, fluid, graceful, absurdly strong.

“How did he get so powerful?” he said to no one in particular.

The Skorupi ran up the stairs towards us but Octavia’s Blast Burn caught her halfway up.

“We have to move!” said Tobias.

Khan nodded. He hooked his claws into the handles and yanked the doors open.

Darkness.

The doors slammed shut of their own accord. Total blackness. No sound but our own breathing and the crackle of my tailfire.

A Fire Blast came blazing out of the darkness. We dodged. The attack broke against the far wall, trailing away into long red-and-yellow flames. Khan and I used our own fire-type attacks to light the way. It was no good; the room was filled with black light. A blue Shock Wave crackled across the ground and struck Tobias and I.

“Stay back!” came a voice I recognised.

I laughed. “Are you scared, now, Dreigo? Now that you finally have to face me in person?”

“They’re close!” said Khan. “Keep firing!”

Fire Blast, Ice Beam, Flamethrower. We had no idea where we were aiming.

“Look out!” another voice cried.

My attack hit something at the back of the room. There was a high-pitched scream.

“Dei, stop!” both voices cried.

In the dim light from by tail I saw a Deino came charging at us, head lowered. I held out my shield and he ran right into it. Dei cried out and backed away.

A ball of orange rose up from a long black neck and became a three-headed dragon that exploded in mid-air. Scaled and fanged heads crashed down over our heads. Khan shielded us with his fins, grunted in pain as the Meteors landed on him. Four blue hooves hit the ground and charged ahead, horns lowered and ready to strike.

Zweil fired a Dragon Pulse from each mouth, two scaled-and-feathered heads of blazing white-and-green-and-pink light that turned into four-legged, wingless dragons. Flamethrower and Ice Beam countered. Dei rammed his head into my back. It was surprisingly powerful. I tucked and rolled and raised my sword. At the eight-month old boy, almost as young as the war itself.

I hesitated.

Dei Bit down on my arm.

“ _Ooww!_ ”

“Alex!” Tobias called. Shock Wave bounced across the ground to strike him, and he screamed.

Dreigo’s six wings turned to two; his tail grew longer and glowed a brilliant green, and he knocked Khan off his feet with Dragon Tail. Khan landed against the wall, pushed off, struck out with Brick Break. Dreigo dodged, Khan landed and turned and dived again, driving his fin into his torso.

I kneed Dei in the chin. Zweil Crunched down on Tobias’ head and arm. I tossed the youngest Varia to the floor and slashed his brother across the side with Hunter. Dei Headbutted me in the back and I fell on top of Zweil. Tobias pulled free.

Dreigo fired Draco Meteor.

“Dei!” Zweil cried. “Get out of the way!”

Dei just about dodged.

Dreigo’s Fly clashed with Khan’s crossed-Brick Break attack.

Dei spread his feet and raised his head. A rippling sky-blue glow poured from his mouth.

“Haaaaaaaaaah!”

Dei used Dragon Rage. A scaled-and-finned fish-like dragon burst forth, snapping its long fangs; I grit my teeth and screwed up my eyes as it washed over me. Tobias fired Ice Beam; Zweil countered with a Shadow Ball from one mouth and attacked with the other; Tobias went rolling across the floor, and I lost sight of him.

Khan used Brick Break. Dreigo’s mouth-hands bit down on his arms and he tossed him to the side, then followed up with Dragon Tail. Khan slid far back across the floor but still stayed on his feet. Dreigo chuckled. Khan Rushed at him, but the Hydreigon dodged and Tailed him to the ground.

Dei charged at me again. I trapped him in a Fire Spin; not the strongest I’d ever summoned, but enough to hold him in place. Kicking and screaming. Zweil roared with anger and hit me in the back with a double-Dragon Pulse. I fell to the floor, gasping for air. Zweil stuck his heads into the flames to pull his brother free. I charged a Flamethrower, but they had already sunk back into blackness.

Khan was halfway to his feet when he had to twist and dodge another attack. He struck Dreigo in the shoulder with Brick Break; a blue arm snapped out and grabbed him by the tail before he could escape. Dreigo grabbed on with both mouth-hands and flung him to the floor.

Ice Beam’s pale-blue glitter cut through the darkness and hit Zweil in the side. Tobias was several feet away, hidden in shadow, and from the roaring of his brother’s battle with Khan, he hadn’t been able to hear his footsteps.

So his slammed his forefeet against the ground and used a Shock Wave to locate him. Shock Wave never misses.

Khan's fins glowed white; two reptilian wings grew from Dreigo’s back and a long, scaled tail lashed out at him; Brick Break blocked just in time. Khan went sliding backwards again but quickly caught himself and came running.

Dreigo charged Fire Blast. Khan span and smacked him in the face with his tail, making Dreigo choke on his own attack.

I raised my shield to block another Headbutt. Tobias’ Rapid Spin let him dodge both Dragon Pulses. Dei used Dragon Rage. I tucked and rolled and charged a Flamethrower. Zweil leapt in front of his brother and took the attack for him.

Tobias and I stood back-to-back, sword raised, hand glowing seafoam, scanning the room, turning in a silent circle.

Shock Wave hit us both at once. Dei fired a Dragon Rage; Tobias jumped ahead and took the attack for me and the fish-like dragon dove into his chest.

“Maybe standing together’s not the best idea,” he gasped, as blue smoke escaped his throat.

“It felt cool for a moment though,” I said.

“It really did!”

Fire Blast clashed with Fire Blast. Smoke and flame rose into the air; and out of the smog came the fall of the Draco Meteors.

Tobias’ Rapid Spin landed between Zweil’s heads. He bore the attack then hit him with Shadow Ball. Tobias’ shell went skittering across the ground, but he jumped straight back up onto his feet. The Zweilous’ forelegs fell as the meteors did, and Shock Wave jumped across the ground.

Dei charged, dodging every meteor as he ran. He rammed his head into me and my sword went flying.

Khan dodged one, blocked another with his fins. Dreigo sunk into shadow; a few moments later, his Fly attack knocked Khan to the ground and the Hydreigon pinned there. Meteors burst beside their heads and sparks spat into their eyes.

I turned in the direction I heard Hunter land and ran. Dei leapt onto my back and held on tight. I finally saw the hilt of the sword when he Bit down on the back of my head.

Tobias went down on one knee. Zweil Crunched down on his arm and tail. I grabbed the handle of my sword. I threw myself back so I landed on top of Dei. He squealed and kicked at me, pushing me to my feet.

I slashe d Zweil across the back of his heads, once, twice, three times, but he still wouldn’t let go. Dei charged at me but the last meteor fell between us and he pulled away.

He tossed Tobias aside with one head and unleashed Dragon Pulse. The other fired at me. I made the mistake of trying to deflect with my sword. The blade snapped in half.

“My sword!” I cried, stupi dly.

Khan drove his knee into Dreigo's torso. The Hydreigon was trying to force his claws over his head; the Professor twisted his arms then brought them together between his opponent’s and snapped them outwards. His opponent was open. He threw himself forward  and tried to knock him to the ground; Dreigo’s wings let him push off the floor and right himself. Brick Break clashed with Dragon Tail and Khan slid backwards. Again. Again. Again. He ducked under Dreigo’s swing. Dreigo crossed his arms to black his strike. They clashed again.

Zweil slammed his forefeet on the ground. Tobias’s body lit up and shuddered, and he screamed. I gave an angry cry and let out a Fire Spin that wrapped around the Zweilous’ body. He turned and charged at me; he tried to knock me over but I grabbed onto the right neck. The other head grabbed onto my tail and pulled me away and I kicked him in the jaw but he still didn’t let go. The fire raged around us. The hot metal of my blade was leaning on the back of the left neck. The left head cried out and the right head dropped me. Before I could get to my feet the two scaled heads of his Dragon Pulse blasted me to the floor, swallowing up the fire.

Footsteps. On some primal instinct, I gripped onto the handle of the Varia sword and swung it around. The jagged blade cut Dei across the face. The Deino screamed at the top of his lungs.

“ _Dei!_ ” Zweil cried.

Dei wouldn’t stop screaming. He was lying on the ground, clutching his face with his forefeet. Zweil ran to his side.

Dreigo turned his head and called for his brothers. Dragon Rush hit him in the chest.

Zweil put himself between us and his little brother and fired Dragon Pulse. Tobias got behind me and I blocked with my shield. I grit my teeth and pushed back; the force of the blow would have knocked me to the floor if Tobias’ hadn’t been holding me up.

We dodged another Fire Blast. Enchanted Giga Impact drove into the Hydreigon's back. Dragon Tail sent Khan flying.

“It’s okay, Dei, it’s okay,” said Zweil, “you’re going to be okay, just hold on! Just stay strong! Dreigo! Finish them!”

“ _You’re going to fucking pay for that, Albion!_ ”

The roof was flooded with blue-white crystals. Zweil’s body shone the same hue. Dreigo’s body was surrounded in midnight-blue energy that twisted warped into a wingless, bipedal, square-jawed, skeletal dragon.

The Booster Badge glowed.

“Do it!” Khan yelled.

The blue dragon came rocketing towards me. I breathed in deep, summoning a Fire Spin.

But before the Booster Badge could activate, Fire Spin became something more powerful. It twisted and straightened into a blazing column of blue fire, wide enough to consume me. The Booster Badge flashed, and Inferno became Inferno Overdrive. It clashed with the midnight-blue drake and Dreigo was sucked into a swirling dome of fire. The flames spread and spread and spread; Khan grabbed Tobias and pulled him aside and Zweil and Dei tried to run but it swallowed them too.

For a moment I just stared into the flames, mesmerised. They moved so quickly, they sucked in and climbed on top of each other, they spat angry red sparks everywhere so even Tobias and Khan had to back away, they burned so high that they reached to the top of the ceiling, and they were _bright_ ; as bright as the sun shining through the window.

Then black-and-blue filled my vision as Dreigo came charging through, scaled wings spread wide and glowing tail trailing behind him. Tobias ran in front of me, but Zweil struck him down with a double-Dragon Pulse. Khan stood in front of us both, arms wide. Dei leapt up, blood flying from his injured face, and Bit down on his throat, dragging him to the ground.

I tried to run, but the Hydreigon was faster. I had made a mistake of turning away.

Dragon Tail hit me in the left temple and slammed the right side of my head into the wall. The bone above my eye _cracked_ , and a powerful shock ran through my skull and my face and my eyes and my brain.

Black.


	22. Epilogue: Home

_“You and me, we're a miracle_

_Meant to be_

_And nothing can change it_

_Mountains move_

_And oceans part_

_When they are standing in our way.” - Christina Aguilera, Mewtwo Strikes Back_

Purple eyes. Staring down at me, unblinking. Awed. Then they started crying.

I had no idea why this Squirtle was so upset, or what I could do about it. I tried to push myself up but my body was so heavy that I couldn’t even lift my head. Every movement flooded it with pain.

The Squirtle leaned over and put a hand on my arm. “Alex,” he said, “are you there? It’s me. Your best friend.”

I screamed.

“What- What are you- How are you…? Who are you?!”

The Squirtle sat back. He was quiet for a moment, then he started laughing, then he started crying again. He put his head in his hands and just cried.

“Hey, hey…” I said. “… Squirtle… Why are you crying?”

My injury had triggered a relapse. More accurately, it had shattered the Gem buried inside my head that had been holding my memories, erasing them entirely. But the others just called it a “relapse”. I’d had no idea what they were talking about.

But my memories were gone. I understood that much.

I remember feeling so guilty. I didn’t want this Pokémon to be upset. He’d just held me and told me not to feel bad. That it wasn’t my fault. I’m still trying to convince myself of that.

Tobias never left my side. Khan brought us both food and water, and he spent most of his time with us. I’d thought that he was my dad at first.

The others tried to tell me everything, but few of them seemed to realise that after a severe head injury and sorcery-induced amnesia, it’s a little hard to keep track of things. I remember at the end of a twenty-minute long “conversation” with Nate, asking him: “Wait, remind me who Dreigo is?” He’d just put his head in his hands and sat there for a full minute. Bonnie dragged him away by the tail.

Asa gave me a diary with a Fletchling quill and asked me to keep track of how I was feeling, physically, mentally, and emotional. He apologised twice every time he saw me, once when he arrived and once when he left, that he wasn’t able to dedicate more time to me. One-hundred-and-eight Pokémon were dead and two-hundred-and-one were critically injured. Eight-hundred-and-ninety-nine had minor-to-severe injuries. Sixty-two were still unaccounted for. I saw Asa for ten minutes, twice a week, for the thirty days that I stayed in Grande City.

One day he arrived six hours late. Tobias was already asleep when the Bulbasaur had come racing in through the hospital doors. I was still awake. I’d been counting the wood grains on the ceiling.

He helped me into a sitting position, fussed over some straw that was poking out through the mattress, brought me a drink without my asking, and spent the next fifteen minutes fussing over that painful spot on the side of my head. He apologised at least five times.

“Have you been keeping up with your diary?” he asked.

I showed him. I’d written about the time I woke up and Tobias had cried.

“That’s a… good start,” he said. “If you need someone to help you transcribe, or if you need another quill, or ink, or a writing table, or anything-”

“Why are you so interested in me?” I asked. I know it was rude, but it had been bugging me for a while. Any besides, my filter wasn't exactly running at full capacity. “Don’t you have, like, a _ton_ of other patients to take care of?”

Asa dropped his vines and broke down into tears.

“Oh Moltres not again,” I said.

He retracted his vines and covered his face with his forepaws. “This is all my fault…” he said. “This is all my fault!”

And I knew how that felt. So I reached out my arms and held him, and I told him it was okay, it was all right, it wasn’t his fault. Whatever it was.

The Gem had been his, of course. It was his idea to implant it into my head, to help my brain store memories like it could before. And the Gem had been destroyed. And the memories had been wiped.

Why had the Gem been necessary in the first place? Well turns out that when you manipulate somebody’s _brain cells_ to erase every memory pertaining to a person’s entire identity, there are consequences to that. Funnily, isn’t it?

“Where did I come from?” I asked the next day, or maybe the day after.

Tobias hesitated. “Do you mean…?”

“Who are my parents?”

Khan had gone to find Braze. The Charizard explained that my parents were still sitting in the cellars beneath Grande City. Most of the Varia soldiers had been exiled from the crownlands, but Octavia had kept them, in case I had wanted to see them. I declined. Hosting hospital visits for everyone else had been exhausting enough.

One the day that I was meant to be released from hospital, Asa asked that I stay for one more. I didn’t mind. The hospital was the most familiar place for me at that time.

By his instructions, I placed my hand to the side of my head, just to the right of my eye. There was a flash of green, and then I was staring at red grass and red soil. Red trees. Red leaves.

“Are you all right?” he whispered.

“Yeah,” I said, a little confused, “I’m fine.”

Red light shining from behind.

My breath caught in my throat.

I don't know how to comprehend what I just saw.

My old memories, he said. I covered my mouth with my hands. I could see it all. From the moment I became a Charmander to the moment that my head was skull was crushed against the wall.

A memory tracker. He’d wiped my memories, and replaced them with this. He had asked my permission, this time, Tobias informed me, although I still can’t remember it.

But now I could watch it. I could watch it all from beginning to end.

It took a long time. Asa showed me how to skip. I just closed my eyes, and seconds turned to minutes turned to hours the longer I held them shut. If something significant happened, like somebody speaking or a Pokémon jumping out at me, I’d be jolted awake.

Tobias and I stayed at Markus’ house for three weeks. I watched it over and over again. I never experienced these things, I never _felt_ them, the pain or the cold or the heat or the weight of my sword in my hand. I can only tell you how I felt watching it happen in front of me.

The final battle was always the hardest, but I pushed through almost every time. I watched myself cut Dei Varia across the face. It was agonising, every single time. But I let myself be suffer. I let myself be punished. It was the least I could do, I guess.

The Pokémon that I’d met along the way came and went, but I wasn’t very good company. All I wanted to do was watch the footage. Eventually, they stopped coming.

The soldiers who’d gathered for the fight were going home. Khan was leaving in a few days. The Academy was waiting for him, and for us. Queen Octavia wanted me to begin training with the Victory Hunters as their “newest” member. They still needed a tenth. It was time to pick a life.

I re-watched the footage again. Team Goldenrod, Ruby Forest, the War of the Dragons. Well then. I guess that was it.

Tobias and I left on the 10th of the Aurora. The Forest Fires came with us. Markus had hugged me tight, trying and failing to conceal the tears in his eyes. It was heartbreaking, but I told him that I had to leave. I couldn’t stand being there anymore. He said that he understood.

The Enderpyres and the Victory Hunters saw us off. Even Avalon showed up, although she had to lean on Niamh’s shoulder to keep standing upright. Recovery was slow. But she _would_ recover, she told me. She had Asa to thank for that. I had asked her what she meant by that.

And she hadn’t gotten angry. She hadn’t gotten frustrated. She had just asked that I remember the good he had been trying to do. That he had done none of it out of spite, and that he really did care for me. I promised her I would remember. This time.

Just before the cart drove off, Braze approached to ask me what I wanted to do with my arms and armour.

“I don’t care,” I said quickly, “do whatever you want with them, just don’t give them to me.”

“We’ll take care of it,” he said. Then he directed my attention to the other side of the cart.

Jessie was watching from a few feet away. Teo hovered by her side. I hadn’t seen them since the day I’d had my armour fitted. I waved. They turned around and left.

“Hike!” said the Maractus at the driver’s seat. The four Skiddo clopped their hooves excitedly against the ground. The cart started with a lurch.

“Are you ever coming back?” Agatha asked me as the wheels crept forward.

We were high up on the hills on the eastern side of the city. I had stared out across the fields, to the north-west, where the sixth floor of the Goldenwater reached up over the hills.

“Maybe,” I said. “Maybe some day.”

I watched the footage again on the two-week journey home. And then again. Halfway through Alister’s betrayal on the third run, the Boldore next to me in the cart pleaded with me to stop. It felt like holding my breath for days and days until we finally reached Emerald Town.

Tobias and I walked home alone together. We stopped just outside our place.

Krabby stood along cliff shelf above our heads, blowing bubbles over the sea.

Tobias held the door open for me. I threw myself down on the bed.

“Ow.”

“No mattresses here, guy,” said Tobias. “You’ll have to get used to the rough living again.”

“I don’t know how I ever slept on this thing before,” I said, trying and failing to find a comfortable sitting position.

Tobias shrugged. “You never really had anything better, I guess…”

“Tobias.” He looked up. “It’s good to be home.”

Tobias smiled.

We were both exhausted, barely still awake. Khan had offered to let us sleep in the Academy, but we’d refused. We’d missed home.

I picked myself up and pushed the tracker.

“Alex, no.”

Reluctantly, I turned it off. I didn’t sleep well that night. I think I had a nightmare. I don’t remember.

“What do you want to do today?” he said the next morning. “Don’t you dare say-”

“I want to go into town,” I said.

He been pleasantly surprised. “Okay! Where to first?”

I pretended to think about it for a moment. “The Academy. Let’s say hi to everyone!”

The Pokémon at the Atlanta Academy had embraced us with open arms. True, some had turned their backs on us after we’d broken their laws; it had been _the_ law, after all; but most of them were glad to see us. While Tobias was distracted with a crowd of Pokémon pestering him for details, I slipped away to the third floor to speak to Khan.

The Professor was bent over his desk with an ink pot and parchment. A Xatu quill stood unused on his desk. He dipped his claw in ink, stopped when he saw me.

“Alex!” he said, wiping his claw on a cloth. “How are you feeling?”

“Great. Never better. Can I talk to you for a moment?”

“Of course!” he said, as I sat down across from him. “What’s up?”

I met Tobias in the dining hall.

“Where were you?” he asked.

“Picking up our reward,” he said.

“What reward?”

I reached into the bag. I pulled out two Beginner-Rank Badges.

“Best I could do,” I said. “But he said we passed initiation with flying colours. I don’t remember any initiation when I first joined. Did the mission in Oran Berry Cave-”

Tobias hugged me tight and laughed. There were tears in his eyes. We’d span around hand-in-hand like a couple of kids. So much for our hard-ass reputation.

We spent the rest of the morning and the afternoon in Emerald Town. We hung out with everyone; Piplup the Great, Gloria, Matty, Desiree, Ross, Rhys, Rebecca, the Kecleon brothers, Kangaskhan and Little K, Karas, Eko, Emma, Kyal, Xavan, Marcellina, Hage. It was a rare easy day, which was exactly what I needed.

But that night I sat watching the memories again.

“A Pokémon who was the sole reason for the Flower’s existence. Like Miloslav, for example.”

My foot caught on one of the crystals poking out on the ground and I fell.

I crawled over to the Flower and rested by hands on it. The petals twisted and peeled away. Then it exploded to life.

Tobias poked his head through the door. “Khan invited us to dinner,” he said, “it would be rude to keep him waiting.”

“Just let me finish this part.”

Staring up with me was a strange creature. It was bipedal, tailless, with a small tuft of hair on its head.

There I am.

Tobias sighed. He came and stood behind me, then pressed hid hand against the side of my head. The tracker _clicked_ off.

“Hey!”

“Alex, this has to stop.”

“But I’m almost there!” I said. “I’m almost remembering! I mean _really_ remembering! I think I’m coming back, Tobias!”

Tobias sighed. I ignored him and turned the tracker back on. Tobias sat down in front of me. The projection played across his face. I saw the Incineroar, dressed in hemp wrestler’s gear.

“Do you think you really remember, Alex?” said the Squirtle. “Or have you just watched that thing so many times you can recite it all in your head?”

“Well, Asa said that every time you remember something, you’re really just remembering the _last time_ you remember, so _technically_ -”

“Asa's telling you this because he feels guilty about what he did to you. But I’m sure even he would agree you’re taking this too far. You need to start focusing on what’s _ahead_ of you. You need to at least be aware of what’s happening _now_. And what’s happening now is we’re going to be late for dinner. Can you please look at me?” he said, more agitated.

I pressed the side of my head. The projection switched off.

“You don’t understand,” I said. “When I woke up, in Oran Berry Cave, I didn’t know who I was was. You taught me. And now I’ve, I’ve woken up again, you know, not knowing. But now I’ve _seen_ it for myself. If I’d had this the first time I lost my memory… The point is that I know who I am now! I know who I _am_!”

He nodded. “Yeah. You’re a Treasure Hunter. So come to dinner. We have to be up early in the morning.”

I tilted my head. “Why?”

Tobias held up a letter. A personal request. D Rank.

“We’re _technically_ not allowed to take these yet, but…”

I smiled. “I think it’s a little too late to be playing by the rules now.”

“Please don't say that in front of Khan.”

I laughed. “I remember enough not to do something like _that_.”

I realised I needed to stop when I noticed the sunlight shining through the gaps in the bamboo. I had snuck home after dinner to watch it again. Tobias had known what I was doing, of course, but hadn't risked causing a scene in front of the Academy Pokémon. We had a reputation now. A good one.

Which wasn’t helped by the fast that I was half-dead the next morning. I had lagged behind the whole way, jumped at loud noises, and took out two, maybe three wild Pokémon on my own. When we’d met the thief we’d be asked to apprehend, a Tangela twice the size of other Tangela, I’d been almost immediately knocked out by her Vine Whip. Tobias had beaten her alone.

The mission was a success, and the client couldn't have been happier. But Tobias was furious.

He finally sat down with me and demanded to know why I wouldn’t stop watching the footage. To tell you the truth, I didn’t even know it myself until he'd forced it out of me.

“Why, Alex?”

“I don’t know.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know!”

He squirted water in my face. “Tell me!”

“I don’t want to forget again!”

I wiped my face with my scarf. Tobias waited for me to continue.

“I don’t… I don’t want to forget. I can feel it, sometimes. Bits and pieces slip away. I wish… I wish I could just remember it all. Then I would never have to look at that thing again. But I can’t remember _anything_ without it.”

Tobias thought for a moment.

“Maybe it’s not your memory that’s the problem. Maybe you’re just not a visual learner.”

“Hm?”

“Personally I’ve always learned better by reading. Maybe it would be easier for you if you wrote it all down. I do that when I have important jobs I need to remember.”

He pointed to a sheet of paper stuck in under one of the lämps. A single sentence was written:

“Learn how to look Desiree in the eye.”

“That has been there since I moved in,” I said.

“Uh-huh.”

“Did you ever learn how to look Desiree in the eye?”

“That’s not the point. The point is that you might just be someone who learns by reading. Or by writing. You should give it a try! Even if it still doesn’t stick, if you need to remember anything from those days you can always look at your writing instead. It might be less… uncomfortable.”

So that’s what I did. I wrote the whole story, from beginning to end. I wrote up to waking up in the Grandé City hospital, to where the journal I never wrote in began. I don't know, maybe it was just easier to sit down do it in big chunks, rather than bit-by-bit every day. When I was done, I tucked it away in a chest of drawers. I was satisfied. It might have stayed there forever.

But people kept asking. Tobias told them everything he could, but I was constantly pestered for my own side of the story, my own opinions, my own feelings. I got tired of explaining it to everyone, of all the questions, confusion, misunderstanding, arguments. So I gave it to them. I just prayed to Moltres nothing would happen to it!

Mayor Mortimer had a second copy transcribed. I was happy to let it circulate, just as long as I had my original copy, even thought it was decorated with a few pawprints here and there!

I saw Bucky reading it in the Town Square. He had a white scarf patterned with rainbow-coloured flames around his neck, with a white-and-grey Badge pinned to the side. Of course they got the fancy designs. The rest of us had to do with one colour and a slightly-different-shade of that colour. Still, I suppose they’ve earned their favour.

Team Spectrum. Leader: Roy. Damager: Bucky. Tank: Eliza. Healer: Alana. Striker had created a new title for himself: Striker.

“Striker Striker?” I asked.

“No,” he said, “just Striker.”

“Striker Just Striker.”

“Shut up.”

Asa and Ewan came to visit in the summer, and I told him about the book. Asa was flattered that I’d taken his advice, so I pretended that I had. Ewan was ecstatic. They didn’t have books in Ruby Forest. He had only read his first, The Life and Magic of Grande Mage Evron, three months ago. Now he works at the Chandelure library.

He asked me if it had helped, I said it did. He asked me what I had written about him. I suggested he pick up a copy from Creams, Emerald Town’s Slowking librarian.

“You can take it back with you if you want,” I said.

“Are you sure?”

I shrugged. “People here seem interested. Although I think a lot of them just want to know if I made them look cool. There’ll definitively be a market for that back in Grande City.”

“Do I look cool?” Asa asked.

“I think so, but you might be too modest to believe me.”

We shared a small laugh. Things were looking better between us, all things considered.

We met up with them in the Smeargle Art Gallery a few of days later; they’d already read the whole thing.

“Would you ever consider turning it into a book?” the Furret asked.

“A book?”

“Big stack of paper with words on it,” said Tobias.

“Very helpful thank you,” I said.

“The only thing is…” he said cautiously. “You might have to polish it up a bit. If you want people to read it.”

“People as in…”

“People as in people who aren’t _in it_.”

“Is there money in that?”

“Probably not, to be honest.”

“You don’t have to decide right now,” Asa said, “these are your personal… your personal experiences. Just give it some thought.”

I did. I gave it a lot of thought. And the more I thought about it, the more conflicted I felt.

On the one hand, these were very personal experiences, and a lot of them were moments I had struggled to share even with myself.

On the other, I could control what exactly went into the book.

On the one, I couldn't control how people would feel about me, or about my choices, or about who I was as a Pokémon based on the way I had acted.

On the other, I could no longer pretend I wasn't Alex Albion. I lost that privilege when I dragged my friends and total strangers into my mission to find out who I was.

On the one, it meant going over these experiences again, watching them and reliving them and studying them in enough detail to write them down as a book.

On the other, it was a kind of catharsis for me. Going over what I went through with my friends, with Pokémon I trust, with Pokémon who had experienced them too. It made everything easier to process. _What_ exactly happened to me. _Why_ it had happened. _Why_ I had chosen to do the things I had done. _Who_ I had been before I lost my memory the second time. And the first.

Most importantly, it gave me a place to start figuring out who I am now. I still don't really have a solid answer for you, but it helps when you know that you aren’t contradicting yourself. It helps to feel like the way you act, speak, think, and feel isn’t just some lie you're telling yourself.

In the end it was Tina who convinced me. The story was already written, if unfit for publishing in book form. By the end of writing the book I was in a much better place than I started in. My mood was up, I was sleeping better, the nightmares had gone, and I was even starting enjoy missions again.

Like I said, writing it helped me figure out who I was. By publishing it, I could let the world know as well.

So Asa and Ewan extended their stay. The three of us along with Tobias and Khan and started meeting up at the Sunshine Library any chance we could. Together, we turned the rough script of what happened into “prose”. Or some semblance of it, at least. It was a jumble of influences from all four of them. But I don’t mind. I think it’s fitting.

I asked everyone in Emerald Town and wrote to the Pokémon in Grande City to ask for their permission to put them in the book. These are their experiences too, after all! No one objection. Most of them seemed pretty excited about it! _Sir Grant_ even allowed me the privilege of calling him “Bonnie”! So that’s what I’ve been calling him this entire time. It was Sir Grant in the first draft but you said I could Bonnie, you can't take it back now!

Oh, and a quick shout out to Octavia, who raised the Skarsgard flag on the 1st of the Dawn, 152 A.S. We couldn’t have done it without you, _your grace_.

And don’t worry about the “secret passages”. Since Dei Varia’s Pokémon blew the place open, there’s been so secrets left in that place anymore. At least not that I know of. But maybe that’s a book for another Pokémon to write.

A lot of research went into this book. I wanted to get every detail right, to have a clear roadmap of where I was and what was surrounding me at the time. It helps me to orient myself, you know? And knowing what shade of colour of what species of tree I’m looking at or being slammed into in the moment helps me remember, helps me picture it in my mind. _Without_ using the tracker. It’s a good thing Creams has a lot of books about trees! Moltres. So many trees.

I’ve added this epilogue just so everyone knows that I’m doing okay. Tobias, Khan, the Forest Fires, and almost everyone from Grandé City is alive and well. Almost everyone. Feather is still there, trapped in Goldenwater Prison. Asa's been experimenting on the armour Sapphire and a special operatives team liberated from the first floor. So far nothing has worked. Now I feel guilty for having taken up so much of his time back in Grande City. But I believe in him. Even after every thing that happened, everything I went through because of him, I still believe in him. And I believe in Feather, too.

No one found Fortis or Harriet. The Earthspringers searched the castle depths, the streets the tunnels beneath the city, but came up with nothing. The Skarsgards searched too, at the insistence of myself, Tobias, Khan, and every single Pokémon who had been with them in the Earthspringer Tunnels. But they still came up empty. It feels like a hole in my heart with them gone. I still remember watching it for the first time, watching Harriet fall, watching Fortis jump in after her. I remember how hard I cried. That hasn't gone away.

I don’t want to believe they died. I can’t believe that. I know that might be naïve, and this might sound stupid, but I don’t think I can let myself believe it until I’m ready. So for now, I just don’t. Strange as it may seem.

No. I’m lying to myself. Fortis and Harriet are dead.

So I guess it’s not a problem if I mention the real identity of “Lord Ayers”, is it? Let him come for me instead. I’ve survived far worse than whatever he thinks he’s going to threaten me with. I’d hidden the pages before I’d handed the first script out to everyone, but now I think it’s time the tunnel-dweller sees the light of day. I’ve already sent a letter to Mickey asking him to come and visit. I’m going to tell him in person before the book comes out.

Asa and Ewan are leaving in a few hours. I’d better finish up.

Queen Octavia did reward me in the end. A medal. The Azahar Bravery Award. I was one of six to receive one. I think you can figure out who the other five were.

It’s supposed to boost your attack in battle. I keep it pinned to my scarf.

Have I ever thought about going back? Once. It was when the medals arrived by Pelipper. I took it out of the envelope and held it up to the sun. Tobias saw it, and immediately hugged me and congratulated me. I hadn't told him there was a medal in there for him as well. He didn’t care. He was just happy for me.

No, I’m never going to leave. This is the life I chose for myself. This is my home. Because my partner is here with me.

THE END.

I just got the hard copy in the mail. I’m going to take it in to you in a minute. This note is just for you, Tobias.

I don’t know what’s happening to you. Ever since that light appeared on the horizon you’ve been a different Pokémon. I know you feel like you can’t tell me. That terrifies me, Tobias.

But I’m going to figure it out. I’m going to help you. You've been there for me since the very beginning. You’ve always supported me, no matter what I was going through, and Moltres knows we’ve both been through so much. You’ve helped me build my own life here, after my first life was ripped away from me and then my second as well. You’ve saved my life more times than I can count, and believe me, I’ve tried.

Now it’s my turn. Let me help you, Tobias. Please.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it. The true final chapter of Treasure Hunters of the Forest. I hope this ending brings some satisfaction to you, and thank you again for checking in, and thanks for checking up on Alex! I'm sure he'll make a speedy recovery.
> 
> But please, stay a while, I insist. There's a short bonus piece coming out over the next few days. I hope you enjoy.
> 
> But it's still not the end! The Treasure Hunters series will return! Stay tuned! <3

**Author's Note:**

> This will be a 21-chapter story (and an epilogue!) A five-chapter Coda will be posted separately after the conclusion of this instalment. I upload every Friday, 12pm BST. Stay tuned!
> 
> Author's note: 
> 
> I absolutely do take constructive criticism, if there's anything at all you think I can do better on, no matter how big or how small, please don't be afraid to comment! My dream is to be a writer in real life and anything at all that can bring me one step closer is hugely appreciated, and besides that, I really care about making the project the best it can be! Either way I want to thank you so much for reading, it really means a lot to me. Cheers love! <3


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